Broken Dusk: The End of Dawn
by seerseeker
Summary: The past is a powerful realm, accessible to any curious soul. It's often the source of actions and where emotions are bottled up. A single act is able to result in the most catastrophic event mankind could ever witness. Most of the time, it's the destruction of a family. Other times, it could wipe out countries—or even an entire race. Tread carefully. (RotBTD Hogwarts/Rwby AU)
1. Acceptance to Hogwarts

From a small cottage, a chameleon crawled into view for his owner to notice. Rapunzel stared at her chameleon, deciphering what his expression was trying to tell her. Pascal aimed his green tail towards the door, meaning Rapunzel could be expecting a visitor, but she was never allowed to open the door. Only her mother, Gothel, could open the door, while Rapunzel had to be locked in her room. It had been that way ever since she could remember, but it never bothered her.

Whenever she was locked up, Rapunzel would stare outside the night sky, where a castle was in the distance. The castle belonged to the King and Queen of Corona. Rapunzel had wished for a long time to leave the house, to explore a castle, or even to stay at a new home that's not in Germany. Rapunzel heard the infrequent squeaks from Pascal, demanding for her to head to the door.

"You know I can't, Pascal." The chameleon frowned at her.

Rapunzel sighed before walking to the door, daring herself to touch the door handle. She peeked underneath the door instead, causing Pascal to sigh and leave the cottage. He acted as if he could read her mind. Rapunzel rested on the dinner chair for Pascal. He returned while dragging an envelope with his mouth.

"Mail? What's so important about this one? You know Mother would burn them if they were meant for me." Rapunzel turned the envelope over, noticing a red seal as she read the writing.

"It's for me?" Rapunzel saw Pascal nodding with enthusiasm. She allowed Pascal on her arm, before racing to her room, clutching onto the letter.

"This is it… isn't it, Pascal?" asked Rapunzel rhetorically.

The seal was broken, as Rapunzel pulled out the letter that was meant for her. She scanned it and saw that it confirmed her acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rapunzel felt a mix of joy and fear; she looked around and found a place to hide the letter.

Rapunzel's mother was the cause of Rapunzel's paranoid nature. Whenever she asked her mother to leave, she would receive punishment. To most children, punishment would mean getting sent to their room or having their toys confiscated; Gothel did neither. For Rapunzel, punishment meant being locked in the dark or getting abused until she cried out every drop.

"Behind the mirror looks good; Mother would never see past it." Pascal puffed his chest up as a sign of approval, and to give her all the courage she needed.

Before sticking the letter on the back of the mirror with a bit of glue, Rapunzel began thinking again. How on earth would Rapunzel be able to go to Hogwarts without her mother's magic? How would she be able to go without her mother knowing?

"I can't, Pascal… Courage is supposed to be being able to face your fears head on. I have to ask Mother for permission. She would've wanted for me to be like her, right?" Pascal presented a disappointed expression, as he would've loved the idea of going behind Gothel's back, not that the witch knew he existed.

When dusk arrived, Rapunzel waited in her room as her mother prepared dinner. She held the letter in her hands and submissively walked out to the kitchen. The seconds it took to approach her mother felt like hours. All that was audible was her own heartbeat and her mother's humming _._

Gothel turned around with a confusing look as if Rapunzel shouldn't have disturbed her. The piercing grey eyes placed Rapunzel in a petrified state. It started to feel like days before she could speak. The utmost important rule for not getting punished, was to speak clearly and to not mumble.

"Mother, I found this lying near the door," said Rapunzel, with eyes averting her mother's. The thumping of her heart increased.

"Near the door?" Rapunzel's heartbeat raced to the point where she knew it was going to end horribly.

"Yes, Mother. It said that I am accepted into Hogwarts. Mother, I know that I am not allowed to leave home under any circumstances, but I feel as if I should give Hogwarts a try so I could learn how to pro—"

"Yes." The thumping stopped. Rapunzel finally glanced into Gothel's cold stare; grey eyes clashed with green eyes.

"Yes? I don't under—"

"Yes, you may leave to Hogwarts." Gothel stretched out her arms for a hug. Rapunzel leaped in and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist. Rapunzel couldn't hold in her tears; for the first time in forever, her mother finally understood. Gothel wiped off Rapunzel's tears and then stroked her daughter's long blonde hair. Fear always made time slow for Rapunzel. Love on the other hand made time pause for eternity.

When the tears dried up, Gothel pulled Rapunzel out of the embrace.

"I have to go." Gothel left to get her black cloak.

"Go? Go where at this time?"

"Don't question me, Rapunzel!" ordered Gothel as if she had shot a bird flying back home. Gothel waited until Rapunzel had realised that she had to pack things for her mother's trip. When Rapunzel was finished, Gothel opened the door and turned around.

"I will be back first thing tomorrow before dawn returns." Gothel touched Rapunzel's chin to reposition her face, so she had to look directly at her mother.

"I love you my flower," said Gothel, waiting for Rapunzel's reply.

"I love you more."

"I love you most." Gothel kissed Rapunzel's forehead and then pulled the hood over her head.

Rapunzel watched her mother's figure enter the woods. Only the green lamp illuminated Gothel. Pascal grabbed Rapunzel's attention and gave her the face of hope.

"It's finally happening, Pascal. I'm finally going to a castle outside of Germany. Who knew, right?" She peered back into the woods and her mother was not there anymore.

* * *

Shadows engulfed the landscape for a brief second. Hiccup Haddock quickly found shade as an innate response towards the shadows. He waited for a few seconds until making his way to the forge.

"Hiccup!" Hiccup turned around and saw Fishlegs heading to his direction. Fishlegs was the same age as Hiccup; he was Hiccup's only friend on Berk. Fishlegs was large for an eleven-year-old and taller than Hiccup, which really wasn't saying much considering Hiccup was the shortest among the children of Berk.

"Found another undiscovered species of flower on this very small island, Fishlegs?" Fishlegs didn't react to Hiccup's usually sarcastic questions.

"They're coming… the letters…" Fishlegs was catching his breath.

Hiccup looked into the sky but saw no signs of the letters. Maybe it had already arrived. Hiccup ran back home without Fishlegs. All the houses of Berk were similar in terms of design, but Hiccup's house was the most recognisable. Berk was not only the land to some of the few Viking groups; the island was also a habitat for the most fearsome creatures on earth: Dragons.

Hiccup searched his house but found no letter. Fortunately, neither was his father, so that meant there would be no awkward interactions. He was beginning to panic a little. What if he was never a wizard in the first place?

The stout Viking with the giant, braided, red beard was also the leader of Berk, Chief Stoick the Vast. He was also the person Hiccup called: Dad. Hiccup's name was not given to Hiccup because of his scrawny physique. The name was to scare off trolls, as they believed hideous names would provide such effect.

Hiccup heard the voices of other children outside his house. The constant bickering already gave away who they were, the Thorston Twins of course. Hiccup observed through his window and saw the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, 'sister twin' and 'brother twin'.

"As I was saying, Sis: Only _one_ of us is going to Hogwarts. We signed a contract as a constitution that we—the most important subjects of this land—are going to different schools." Tuffnut rolled out a piece of parchment, with writing too small for Hiccup to read—not that it mattered to him.

"Tuffnut, the rules don't matter anymore. We didn't know that Hogwarts was the only magical school left in the world." Ruffnut picked up a rock, waiting for the right moment to hurl at her twin brother.

"Oh but there is no turning back. Years ago you also agreed that if any of us broke a vow, then they would quote 'sleep on Dragon Island… with Gothi' unquote." Tuffnut saw the rock and ducked. Ruffnut made a run for the contract to rip it up.

"Ah! What is wrong with you, woman?! I will have authority!"

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at the scene. Tuffnut usually didn't talk in that sensible tone, only when he wanted to annoy people.

Hiccup then saw an object coming his direction. His instincts warned him that it could be a dragon ready to burn down his house. His instincts were wrong.

A paper plane landed on the bed in front of Hiccup, perfectly white and seamless. It began unfolding in front of his eyes and Hiccup picked up the envelope. Hiccup exhaled as a sign of relief, he was now going to have a new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hiccup wondered if Astrid and Snotlout got theirs yet.

If Hiccup's only skill on Berk was working at the foundry with Gobber the Belch, then he wasn't going to make his mark. Hogwarts was the perfect opportunity, as he had the chance to explore his mother's side; it might've be something he was finally good at. Stoick the Vast had no magic in him, meaning Hiccup was a half-blood. According to Fishlegs, blood purity was a big deal at Hogwarts, the main cause of bullying.

Many Vikings trained dragons to develop bonds. In the past, killing dragons was the source of fun, until a courageous Viking ended it and showed a better way. That Viking was Hiccup's mother.

The main reason to Hiccup's marginalisation was not because of his strength, or the relation he shared with the Chief. Hiccup had a fear of dragons; no matter how hard he tried to fit in, every conversation was about dragons this and dragons that. The children also went through hazardous training to defend themselves against dragons, which wasn't a breeze for Hiccup. They had to learn combat—not because they still hunted and killed dragons for sport—but because of their enemies, the Outcast Tribe, led by Alvin the Treacherous. They too have learnt how to train dragons, but their motives weren't for relationships built with trust; they trained dragons to destroy Berk.

The cold breeze entered the room, so Hiccup weighed down the letter with a tiny axe he—for some reason—owned solely for that very purpose. Winter was coming soon; but luckily, while Berk freezes, Hiccup would be at Scotland, where it would be warmer than here. Meaning anywhere was safer than Berk's frostbiting wind that could even attack the spleen. Hiccup never had frostbite as of yet. He hoped it would stay that way.

The horn sounded nearby for the entire village to hear. People began heading to the foundry, where Hiccup and Gobber worked. Upon reaching there, they geared up with weapons and prepared for battle.

"Outcasts," muttered Hiccup. He went outside and could see an array of boats heading to Berk.

* * *

The clouds above the London sky obscured the sun. Merida rode on her horse, Angus, and fired her arrows into the targets she had placed around the field. What she loved the most about this was the feeling of the wind passing through her unruly red hair.

Merida stopped Angus and could see her chauffeur waving at her to come back. She groaned, knowing that her mother wanted her back home. She missed living in Scotland, where she always saw her father.

Fergus Dunbroch, Merida's father, worked with other clans to monitor the distribution of magical creatures. If there were any abnormalities then he would report his findings to the Ministry of Magic, an organisation that people would best describe as the 'government of the wizarding world'.

Merida and her mother, Elinor, left Scotland to live a modern lifestyle. She had the demon bear, Mor'du, to thank for that. Now all she could do was go to primary schools with people not like her, and to practice being a princess. It wasn't all fun and games being the Princess of Dunbroch. Having a mother as the queen was even harder because of all the strict rules.

Living in luxury didn't please Merida either. She would rather live in the wilderness, learning how to take care of herself with no responsibilities. Despite living in London for several years, nothing could get rid of Merida's Scottish accent.

The ride back home took a while. Merida didn't speak to her chauffeur until halfway there.

"What does my mother want now, Daryl?" asked Merida, but felt as if she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. It isn't like those other times when she wanted to lecture you. This one was a tad abrupt, so please expect the unexpected, Your Highness."

"Please…" Merida slouched her head to the side and lied down while the car was still going.

"It's beyond too late for me to be called 'Your Highness' now. Living a normal life in London just makes it sound weird."

"Please remember that your mother wanted you to be safe—not that you needed it—but know that it was because she wanted what was best for you," said Daryl. He knew her best since he had seen her use that bow of hers.

After the gates were opened, and upon entering the main door, Merida headed to the living room, where Elinor was waiting for her. Merida's mother had long brown hair that could reach her feet, if she straightened it from the braids.

"Mum?" asked Merida. Elinor stopped reading and was almost shocked that her daughter came.

"Merida?! Sorry love, I was too busy reading your father's letter." Elinor placed the note down while plastering on a smile; it was almost creeping Merida out. Elinor handed another letter to Merida, letting her read it herself.

"Hogwarts…? Accepted…? Wasn't the chance of me getting in close to naught?" Merida watched as her mother stood up to take Merida's hands.

"Yes, Merida. But your father and I have always been looking forward to this day. You might enjoy it there."

Merida was lost with words. Sure she wanted to leave the house and to experience the wizarding world, but this letter made everything sound rushed. Just like that, her mother was allowing her to stay at a boarding school back in Scotland, where she would make most of the decisions herself. She probably thought her mother was relying on that high chance of not getting accepted.

"I know it's all so sudden. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that you were even going to be accepted." Elinor sat down and took the letter, positioning it neatly on the table, signalling for Merida to sit down with her.

"You weren't? Because of Year X, right?" Elinor nodded.

"Ever since Year X, magic has been declining. Your father and I were lucky to have gone to Hogwarts, otherwise we wouldn't have met. Honestly, we were betrothed, but I wouldn't have liked him as much if I never went to Hogwarts with him."

There was a short pause. Merida knew exactly what Year X was. It was the war that took place on 2400, and with the letter X being the twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet, made the name fitting.

"Which reminds me, Merida… would you like to try casting your first spell? I'd go deranged to miss out seeing your first time using magic." Elinor handed Merida a wand, Elinor's wand.

"Um… what do you suppose I do with it?" Merida held the wand, like a baby holding a pencil for the first time.

"You are going to try and cast a spell on this letter I just wrote. It's for your father. Just wave in this motion and say 'Indago, Fergus Dunbroch'. Then picture your father's face." Merida did exactly what her mother said, but there was no result. There was another pause after Merida's attempt.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this 'Indago' spell," commented Merida sarcastically for her mother to laugh.

"I should have remembered. Wands work better to their true owners. Don't worry, Merida, we'll go to Diagon Alley next week to get your supplies, including your wand. I could've remembered that it would've been fine to people who were alike. I guess it's true that you've got your father's side." Elinor packed up the letters and Merida left the wand on the table.

She was wrong about one thing. Sure Merida looked more like her father, but it was her mother's personality she inherited.

"Mum?"

"Merida?" Elinor had just finished handing the letters to Maudie, the maid.

"Why don't we just mail the letters instead of using spells?"

"Simple. We don't want anyone intercepting the letters. In the past, wizards and witches used to use owls to deliver the letters. But ever since Year X, the Dark Weapon had killed the owls or swapped real messages with fake ones, leading people to traps. Today, we abandoned using owls just because of the fear of the Dark Weapon. Some say that the Dark Weapon are still here, planning for their next move." Merida was always interested in the stories of Year X; they were better than her father's stories of fighting the demon bear called Mor'du.

"Still believe in that, do you?" asked Merida. Never did she think that an evil group of people were still out there. Doing nothing for almost 100 years and then striking sounded far-fetched to Merida.

"Of course I do, Merida. It _did_ happen 93 years ago. Turning letters into paper planes not only increased evasion, but it was also a faster method."

After the talk, Merida was about to head back to her room. Before she did though, Elinor stopped her.

"Where do you think you are going, young lass?"

"To my room…" Merida hoped she wasn't going to hear what she had anticipated.

"Just because you are about to go to Hogwarts does not mean you are free from your lessons. Wash up and see me in the study room." Merida moaned before walking up the stairs. She hoped the day she got to Hogwarts came sooner.

* * *

Summer was about to end for Jack. He loved winter the most. Today, he had just played with the local children of Hawthorne, with his seven-year-old sister, Emma. That night, when Emma had just gone to bed, an unexpected visitor came to greet the Overland household.

"Jack! Come over here please." Jack heard his mum and raced to the hallway, seeing both his parents and a man that towered over them. The man could barely fit through the doorframe.

They made their way into the dining room and Jack sat on the chair, waiting for his parents to explain why a large man twice their size had visited. He was older than his parents, but not too old to have wrinkles or a walking stick.

"What's going on?" Jack leaned in forward for an answer.

"Going on? I am pleased you asked. Name's North, Nicholas St. North." North reached out his hand and shook Jack's hand. They were colossal compared to Jack's.

"Jack… Jackson Overland," said Jack, in an attempt to mock the man in a subtle way.

"Saint Nicholas… no it couldn't be," thought Jack. North had a long white beard. He also wore a large red coat with a black fur hat. That man couldn't be Santa Claus, could he?

"Well, Jackson Overland… I'm here to see you, to talk to you about magic. Do you believe in it?" asked North. Jack had realised this man was speaking in a Russian accent.

Jack was definitely confused. He glanced at his mother and father in case they were pulling some kind of joke on him—well… his dad more specifically. They had a calm yet serious face, meaning Jack had to take this solemnly.

"Magic? This isn't some kind of joke, is it?" Jack was desperate for answers.

"I wouldn't blame you if you said no, Jack. From what most wizards know, magic does not work in areas other than Europe." North handed over a letter to Jack.

 _Dear Mr Overland_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
_ _Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
_ _Term begins on September 1.  
_ _Yours sincerely,_

 _Tara Moonhaven  
Deputy Headmistress_

Jack's eyes shot up to see the three adults watching him. They knew it was a lot to take in.

"A magical school?"

"Yes, and it is your choice to learn magic there."

"I don't think we are able to pay for this," said Jack in a guilty tone. It was a main issue for Jack's family, paying to support the household. Jack and Emma's school fees certainly did not help.

"You do not have to worry about that. As far as I know, Muggle families do not have the currency for the magical world anyway. I'll personally pay for your fees for Hogwarts, since we are desperate for more students."

"Muggle families?"

"Muggles, the term we use for people who aren't magical. The point is, Jack, the wizarding world is in search of many people outside of Europe, since they never find out that they're magical. And Hogwarts is a wonderful school to stay at."

Jack was about to agree on going, until he realised why his parents created a downcast atmosphere around him and North.

"This school is in Europe isn't it? You said magic only works there."

"Correct, but to be more specific, magic only works in the United Kingdom. I know that you don't want to leave your family, but this is a wonderful opportunity for not only you, but your whole family too."

North was right. Jack was already told that the payments were covered. If Jack continued elementary school and then continued to college, the payments would reach impossible values, especially in America.

"I'll do it," said Jack, with a smile on his face. His parents were proud of him, happy that he was willing to experience a journey on his own. Their boy was finally growing up.

"Ha! That's wonderful to hear!" North shouted as if this was the first time someone had done him a favour.

"How many people rejected you today?" thought Jack.

"Here, take this. I created it especially for you." North handed a wand to Jack. Jack held it and gave it a wave. Nothing happened. Just as he expected, either magic really didn't work here, or this man was a complete lunatic.

"How do you suppose I get to Hogwarts? A plane sounds expensive and a little bit… how should I say this… technical… for wizards to use."

"You are indeed not going to be taking a plane, Jack. Instead, you will be using something called Floo powder." North couldn't continue explaining until he informed Jack about it.

"You have a fireplace, no?"

"No."

"Well, not a problem. I am able to use magic on a fireplace so you can use it for transportation. There is an area a couple of hours from here, where you can use a fireplace. That place has no Muggles around, so it'll be safe. Remember this, Jack: On the 21st of August, I will come over to teach you how to use Floo powder. Meanwhile, we will also have to go to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies." Jack nodded in agreement.

"Is this all going to be a secret… you know… from the 'Muggles' around here?"

"Yes, it's best to keep this a secret from the Muggles. If you believe your sister might tell other people, then you should also keep this a secret from her too."

Jack didn't know if Emma would tell, so it was safer to not tell her at all. Jack would instead just tell her that he was heading to a boarding school in Europe, which wasn't lying if he thought about it.

"Now back to the Floo powder business. When I come over, I'll take you to the fireplace, which will take us to an area in Europe: The Leaky Cauldron. I have already booked a room for you there, so you can make yourself at home while you're there before school begins. What's more convenient is that the Leaky Cauldron is adjacent to Diagon Alley."

Soon, Jack's parents began packing up the house before getting ready for bed. North was about to leave before he stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Jack, do you believe in legends or fables? The ones when you were young?" North waited while Jack thought to himself.

"Honestly? I stopped believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy when I was eight-years-old… you know… when my childhood ended."

"Well Jack… your childhood might have to stay with you for a little longer." North left and Jack kept his words to himself. North was not implying that they were real, was he?


	2. Diagon Alley

Rapunzel waited in the middle of nowhere at Diagon Alley. Her mother had just left to get the remaining supplies for school. Rapunzel wouldn't have left her home if it weren't for the wandmaker's shop, where they needed Rapunzel to see which wand suited her best. Her mother also needed to figure out Rapunzel's size, as buying clothes for her daughter was a rare occasion.

She and her mother got to Diagon Alley using Gothel's Apparition, the skill of teleportation. Apparition worked only if the area they were arriving to had magic. Therefore, there was no possible way to head back home unless they used Floo powder or a Portkey. Portkeys were objects that allowed teleportation when touched; even Muggles could teleport upon making contact.

Rapunzel felt Pascal moving around in her hood. He emerged from the fabric and sighed because Gothel was gone.

"She might not come back in a while, Pascal. So feel free to breathe in the fresh air, okay? For now I need to find the place that sells cauldrons." Pascal changed to the colour of Rapunzel's blue cloak, camouflaging himself.

Usually Pascal would camouflage if he didn't have enough time to hide from Gothel. Rapunzel looked to where Pascal was facing and saw someone—who wasn't her mother—approaching them.

They were glad it wasn't Gothel, because she would've scolded Rapunzel for not being able to buy a simple cauldron. Rapunzel's time at Hogwarts might even be cancelled if things escalated. She watched as the girl approached them. She had beautiful strawberry-blonde hair and turquoise blue eyes.

"I couldn't help but realise… Is that a chameleon?" Rapunzel looked at Pascal, as he reverted back to his original green colour. Hiding from that girl was pointless now.

"Yes…" Rapunzel waited to see what the girl did next.

"It's so cute! Is it a boy? Where did you buy him?" asked the girl eagerly.

"His name is Pascal… and I found him near my house." Rapunzel hoped that this pleased the girl. This would be the first interaction Rapunzel had away from home. She had spoken to the neighbours but they had always warned her how dangerous the outside world was, like her mother always said.

"Princess Anna!" A woman ran towards the two. She was plump and was dressed like a maid.

"Princess Anna… You shouldn't be running away like that," scolded the woman while catching her breath.

"Sorry, Gerda, I just got a bit excited." Gerda watched and waited as if Anna had forgotten something.

"Oh—Anna, Princess Anna of Arendelle." Anna curtsied to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel was speechless. Here at this very moment, her first interaction was with a princess, a girl who spent most of her time in a castle.

"Rapunzel… Gothel…" Rapunzel did a half curtsy, making Anna laugh.

"Don't worry it's fine. We're just in the middle of shopping for Hogwarts' supplies. I don't suppose you would want to join us?" Rapunzel thought that princesses had no time for people such as herself.

"I really don't want to interfere, Anna. I'm almost done shopping as well… I just need a standard sized pewter—"

"Pewter cauldron! Great, we'll go there with you then." Anna grabbed Rapunzel's arm and dragged her through the maze of people. They could hear Gerda's voice muffled in the crowd.

At the marketplace where they bought cauldrons, Anna played with Pascal. It turned out Pascal was playful towards anybody but Gothel. He was happy to meet other people too; there were too many of the same people in Rapunzel's village.

Next thing Rapunzel knew was that she followed Anna to a bank called Gringotts: Down Diagon Alley and near Knockturn Alley. The marvellous white building was colossal compared to the other shops. At first Rapunzel was reluctant to follow, until she saw that there was plenty of time before her mother would return.

Anna took a neatly folded letter and passes it to Gerda. Rapunzel could see a strange symbol on the letter, probably the family crest—if royal families still used them. The one writing all the paperwork at the end of the hallway took the piece of paper. He was a goblin. Rapunzel had read about them. They were extremely protective with their resources, which was why they suited this job best.

The goblin stamped the paper and gave it back to Gerda.

"That's the Arendelle seal. It gives me permission to access my families' Dusk Crystals. That seal is my dad's, but when I turn sixteen I can get my own."

"Dusk Crystals?" asked Rapunzel.

"How often do you go outside? Dusk Crystals are a magical crystal that my family makes. Arendelle Corp, the largest Dusk Crystal producer in the wizarding world." Anna parted her arms to exaggerate the fact.

Not long after that, Rapunzel and Anna had gone their separate ways. It was sad to see Rapunzel's first friend leave, but she didn't want her mother to worry.

"Rapunzel!" Rapunzel flinched and saw her mother coming. Pascal hid in Rapunzel's hood.

"Mother?" Gothel approached Rapunzel faster. She came from Knockturn Alley, which Rapunzel knew was a shady area judging by its dodgy appearance.

"What are you doing near Knockturn Alley? Well? Did you get the cauldron like I asked?" Rapunzel displayed the cauldron in front of her mother's eyes, not exactly sure why her mother had to ask.

"Come on flower. We need to use the Floo powder to get home now."

On the way back, Rapunzel bumped into someone. The girl looked back and stared at Rapunzel, as if Rapunzel was the one at fault. Rapunzel bowed her head down and apologised.

"I'm so sorry!" pleaded Rapunzel. Gothel was watching Rapunzel with judgemental eyes. She was embarrassed that Rapunzel made that silly error of not watching where she was going.

When Rapunzel looked up, the girl remained silent. She wore a golden star on her left ear, and her eyes opened up like she just realised something. She then bowed down like Rapunzel. Rapunzel was glad that the girl did it, because it made Rapunzel not look like a fool who was bowing down irresponsibly.

"I was the one not looking where I was going, Your Highness." Rapunzel remained silent and the girl watched Gothel's reaction with her observant eyes.

Gothel was shocked and was worried if Rapunzel was thinking too much. She grabbed Rapunzel and turned her around. She bent lower to say something.

"Rapunzel, stay here for a few minutes." Gothel turned around and they saw the girl walking through the crowd, pretending like nothing happened.

Gothel left Rapunzel to look for the girl. Rapunzel was confused. Gothel returned and told Rapunzel that they're going back home, pretending whatever happened in those few minutes never occurred. But Gothel couldn't change the past; Rapunzel would always remember the taste of being a princess.

* * *

Merida really wanted to go to Diagon Alley by herself, but her mother was insisting. It was unusual for a queen to do the shopping for the princess. It would've made sense if Elinor wanted Maudie or Daryl to go instead. Daryl did come, but he was waiting near the car to drive them back; it was his only job, according to Elinor. Understanding Merida was one thing Elinor didn't know Daryl could do.

"Merida, stay close where I can see you, dear." The words Merida heard the most while wondering around the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. There were no cars, but at this time of the year, many people would visit to buy school supplies.

There were many witches and wizards among them, most were wearing pointed hats. She had already received her wand since that was the first place they wanted to go to. Merida was pleased with her wand: Dragon Heartstring Core, potential with using strong magic. The wood was made up of aspen, the kind for revolutionaries. Merida had tried a few wands before finding the beautiful white one. It was as pale as snow.

They got to the store that sold robes. Merida knew this was the place where a disagreement would ignite between them. The shop had mannequins behind the glass at the front so any passer-by could see.

"Merida, go try this one on instead. I think you'll look lovely." Elinor was holding a uniform that was exactly the same as the one Merida was currently wearing, only that it was a few sizes down.

"Mum… I know it won't fit."

"Nonsense, just try it on and we'll see if there's another size." Merida was now holding the size-too-small-uniform.

"I'm wearing the same thing. It's a wee too big but I will grow in it, eventually."

The two bickered quietly so nobody could hear. Merida felt someone tap her back so she turned around, ignoring her mother. Elinor too, looked past Merida.

"Um… Is this what you were looking for…? I was holding this one just in case I wanted it but I found that the smaller sizes fit me." The girl with dirty blonde hair handed Merida the uniform that was smaller than Merida's—but larger than Elinor's.

"Perfect, it fits." Merida had just moved around and found no difficulty. It really was the perfect size.

"And you look splendid," said Elinor while lightly clapping her hands.

"Thanks for—" Merida couldn't see the girl anymore.

"Where did your new friend go off to?" Merida shrugged her shoulders in response to Elinor's question.

"It doesn't matter, let's just go to get the other equipment," said Elinor. They bought Merida's uniform and placed more on order. They also got the one that was slightly larger, in case she did grow early.

While making their way down towards the Leaky Cauldron, the two passed a small shop that sold jewellery. Merida stopped when she caught a glimpse of something shimmering in the sun. She ignored her mother and took a closer look at the crystal on display.

"Merida, where do you think you're—" Elinor caught sight of the white crystal too. It was a necklace, but the string was not the prize. The string made the diamond seem important.

"Oh my… That's lovely, isn't it?" Elinor was marvelling at its appearance. Merida looked at her mother, wondering if she was going to buy it.

"Sorry, Merida. It appears that I only brought enough Galleons for the school equipment. And look at the price too."

Merida looked at the price and also agreed that it was too much. If they came back to buy it, the chances of it still being there was too low. But who would be able to afford that? It was more than the amount they've spent today.

Merida and her mother made their way through the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was behind that building; in front of the Leaky Cauldron was the Muggle world, where Merida and Elinor were already used to. Daryl got the car ready for them.

* * *

Two weeks later, Hiccup and the other children his age arrived at Diagon Alley. There wasn't a lot of convenience getting there. Hiccup and others had to use a Viking ship to get all the way to Norway, which took about three to four days. At Norway, they had to get to Arendelle, a wizarding kingdom led by a king and queen. Arendelle provided the Vikings a fireplace so they could use the Floo Network.

The children went off in their little groups without Hiccup, as he suspected. Gobber stayed with Hiccup since it was best not to abandon a helpless child. Not only was Gobber the main blacksmith of Berk, he was also a professor and the groundskeeper of Hogwarts. Gobber was never present for Christmas on Berk; there were duties he had to complete at the school, like decorating the Great Hall and carrying Christmas trees. Although most of the time Professor North, another professor, helped him finish his work because he loved the Christmas holidays the most.

It wasn't a calamity without Gobber. Even if the raids of the Outcast Tribe occurred during Christmas, Hiccup would still be there to supply the weapons at the forge. Things might be a little bit different now that Hiccup was going to be away from Berk.

"You are welcome to follow me if you wish. Just to let you know, it might involve transporting dangerous creatures that like to eat little children. _Then_ we can buy the school supplies." Hiccup was unconvinced.

A boy approached Hiccup and Gobber. He had brown hair and wore Muggle clothing.

"Excuse me, sorry for bothering. Could you point to me where the bookstore is?" The boy was definitely a Muggle-born, not a good idea to whoever left him alone.

"I'll take you there instead, nothing else I can do anyway," insisted Hiccup.

"Sweet, the name's Jack." The two shook hands while Gobber left.

"Hiccup…" Jack couldn't help but ask how he got that name. He assumed that wizards were given strange names.

"Actually, it's quite exotic in the wizarding world, but not where I'm from."

"Oh yeah? Where _are_ you from?" asked Jack.

"Berk, a Viking island where we train dragons." Jack's eyes lit up; he was getting more and more excited about the magical world. He now pitied Muggles for missing out on a lot.

When they finished getting Jack's books, Hiccup and Jack made their way to the wandmaker's shop. Hiccup needed a wand, but he didn't know where to go. Jack had already went to the place to get the wand North gave him analysed. According to North, it was better to know about your wand so you could use it to its fullest potential. Although it didn't help Jack a lot because he didn't know most of the terminology. What was a Phoenix Feather Core?

Hiccup got his wand after several minutes. It was through trial and error, good at messing with Hiccup's patience. When he left with Jack, he wondered how many Muggle-borns were going to Hogwarts this year. He knew about the war, but he didn't see any threat except for the Outcasts. There were the Berserkers as well, led by Oswald the Agreeable. The Berserkers remained in truce with Berk, but Oswald's son worried Hiccup. Dagur the Deranged was the most chaotic person he had ever met. He hoped that Dagur would never take over Oswald's place or else there would be chaos.

"So, seen anybody strange yet?" asked Jack. Hiccup didn't understand what he meant.

"The strangest person I met today was some boy who wore a black cloak and had silver eyes," said Hiccup sarcastically, as if nothing around them was strange. Jack chuckled.

"Well I saw a giant Viking with a wooden leg and hand, standing next to a very little boy who couldn't have been a Viking." Hiccup didn't react to Jack's answer. Instead, Hiccup saw a shop that sold Dusk Weaponry.

"Do you know about Dusk?" asked Hiccup.

"Can't say that I have."

"Well, Dusk is a substance that contains magic. People have also used this material to create weapons."

Hiccup went towards the shop with Jack following. Hiccup had never seen a Dusk Weapon in his life. The shop was larger than the wand shop. There was an area where crystals of many colours were being sold, and another area where people built the weapons.

Hiccup and Jack had split up. Jack made his way to the area with the weapons. He saw a variety of these weapons. One in particular had caught his attention. The weapon had two long silver rods next to each other. There were also two blades lying next to the two sticks on the left and right side, ready to be assembled. Was it going to be a blue axe? The person who was gathering the pieces for the weapon saw Jack and looked uncomfortable. Jack left the boy to work peacefully, as he could see Hiccup looking at the different gems.

"Red Dusk creates fire; Orange Dusk creates lightning; Yellow Dusk creates earth; Green Dusk creates plants; Blue—" Hiccup saw Jack and stopped mumbling. He didn't want to sound boring.

"Continue. I'm actually curious on what the other three colours do. Wait… let me guess. Blue is water; dark blue is shadow; and purple is poison." Hiccup laughed, shaking his head.

"All wrong. Blue Dusk is ice; _Indigo Dusk_ is water; and Violet Dusk is air." Hiccup said, at least Jack knew water was part of it.

"Are we done with everything here?" asked Jack.

"Your call, Jack."

The two headed out and ran into one of the children from Berk. The girl wore her blonde bangs on the left side of her forehead and had a braided ponytail.

"So I see you've made a new friend, Hiccup." Hiccup was tense.

"Oh—hey Astrid, this is Jack." The two greeted and Astrid turned back to Hiccup.

"Sorry to be ruining your fun time, but everyone is looking for you."

Astrid left with Hiccup. Their journey now was to head back to Arendelle, where they would spend their time at until they had to go to King's Cross railway station. As for Jack, spending the remaining days at the Leaky Cauldron was all he had to do for now.

* * *

Jack returned to his room at the Leaky Cauldron: Room 14. It was several rooms through the second floor. Below had a pub where even Muggles could enter, but the Muggles were not aware of the small backyard behind the building. In order to access Diagon Alley, wizards had to tap the bricks on a brick wall in an anticlockwise order; after that, the stone bricks would open a passage that allowed access to the wizarding world.

Jack went through the books he bought with Hiccup. He spent the Galleons North had lent to him. One book piqued his interest.

"Nightlight." The cover of the book was coloured in blue and black, more interesting than the other mundane textbooks. Jack flipped the pages to see that it was a picture book, the ones for little children.

 _Your childhood might have to stay with you for a little longer._

Jack packed the book away. What did Hogwarts plan for him to do with this book? Perhaps North was trying to tell him that they really did exist. North was Santa Claus; it was undeniable. But Jack had never heard of such legend called Nightlight; his parents had never told him and Emma such story.

The next morning, Jack had breakfast and was going through the book about Nightlight. There were other students who stayed, waiting for Hogwarts just like Jack. He was unable to find anyone his age.

When Jack returned to his room, he neatly packed the picture book away and stared into a mirror. The mirror reflected his messy brown hair and fair skin.

"You seem to be worried of your status in the wizarding world," said the mirror, which made Jack fall backwards. The mirror sounded like a man speaking to him.

"Tsk, tsk! So Muggle-like that you didn't know a mirror could speak." Jack walked up to the mirror, seeing if he could figure out how it was able to produce sounds without any vocal chords.

"How are you even speaking?"

"It's magic, it never makes sense. My job is to give advice in regards to your appearance."

Jack waited, hoping for the mirror to be useful.

"Let's see… Your pretty young right now so my advice may not even matter in the next few years. But I can see that you think you look too ordinary. Perhaps a change in your hair colour could work. Don't worry, it doesn't include dangerous chemicals wizards use to change hair colour. It can happen in just a swish of a wand. I'm thinking an exotic colour might do, like blue, silver, or—"

"White?" The mirror paused at Jack's interruption.

"With those eyes? Not in a hundred years. If you plan to have white hair, you might as well change the colour of those brown eyes, especially if your skin can turn pink. Nobody wants a person with all the colours of Muggle ice cream."

Jack stood still and stared back into his reflection.

"You're not showing me my new appearance?"

"I only give advice, showing you what you could look like isn't my job."

"Pfft! Hopeless." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Just remember this: Your blood purity can easily be seen from a mile away. Don't think that you look like most wizards since appearances are illusions. Kind of like the reflection you are looking at right now. Have you ever seen yourself with your own eyes? Nobody has. People have only seen themselves through mirrors or Muggle technology. It is all an illusion."

Jack stepped away from the mirror; all of it gave him too many thoughts. If his blood purity really was going to be a problem at Hogwarts, then maybe going to this school wasn't a good idea.

Hiccup though, didn't seem to dislike Jack very much. In fact, Hiccup was the one trying not to embarrass himself in front of Jack. Perhaps things might go well for Jack, considering he was able to make a friend before day one at Hogwarts.


	3. The Hogsmeade Line

The 1st of September had rolled in slower than Jack anticipated. The luggage he carried on a trolley consisted of large suitcases, containing both his clothes and equipment for Hogwarts. North had given him instructions for entering the hidden platform, that would lead him to the train.

 _Between the 9 and 10 signs, you have to believe in your guts and run directly through the wall!_

Jack really wished it was easier said than done. He couldn't imagine what the outcome would have been if North was a crazy man, telling a child to ram into a brick wall.

Jack stood there until he could see other students heading into the wall. Now it was his turn. There was no time to waste, and he had to time it correctly in order to not get spotted by Muggles. Jack got ready and charged into the hidden passage; he felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his body before he phased through the wall, and now he was someplace else.

Jack saw the marvellous red train called the Hogwarts Express. There was plenty of time before the train would leave, but he still had to pack his luggage away, before finding an empty compartment all for himself. At the end of the platform, Jack saw a tunnel. He had no idea what was through the tunnel, but beyond the entrance of the tunnel were a line of fireplaces. Jack should've used the Floo Network from the Leaky Cauldron, instead of taking a taxi to King's Cross. Maybe he should tell North about the easier method next time.

Jack dawdled through the carriages in case Hiccup was already waiting for him, no luck. Jack made it past one compartment and couldn't help but eavesdrop the conversation.

"—everyone using your Prophecy Record. We need to be able to know whom we can trust by seeing their past," said the boy. He was talking to a female.

"But I can't do all the work. You have to do things to prevent what I see in the future."

All of it was interesting to Jack, unsettling at the same time. Did wizards have to power to alter reality by avoiding the future?

Jack saw more students filing in the train, so he quickly went to find an empty compartment.

A few carriages down, Jack waited in the most isolated one. He looked through the fingerprinted window and saw mothers and fathers farewelling their children before they got on the train. There was also a crowd gathering around one family in particular. Were they celebrities? Royalty?

Jack had said his farewells to his family before he left to the Leaky Cauldron. He could only say his farewells to his family at this own house. After that, he was to leave with North to the area in New York, where the Floo powder area was.

"I'll miss you." Emma was crying into his shoulder. She wouldn't be able to cope without Jack for almost a year.

"I'll be there when Christmas comes, which is in like… four months." Jack held Emma tighter, wanting her to feel like he never left.

"I made this for you." Emma handed him a bracelet made out of coloured strings. Jack kindly accepted it and promised to never take it off.

Jack snapped out of his memories and fiddled with the bracelet around his right wrist. If only he had told Emma about magic, then she and his parents would have been at the station saying goodbye to him. Jack pictured where he would've stood, facing his family. They were watching him, standing in front of the red train, and staying to watch him through the window.

The sliding door of Jack's compartment opened.

* * *

Hiccup made his way to a large fireplace in the main corridor of the building in Arendelle. He was given specific instructions to place his luggage inside the fireplace, and then grabbing a handful of Floo powder.

"Okay, Hiccup, now all need to say is 'Platform 9 ¾' and throw the Floo powder into the fireplace," instructed Gobber, "and say it _very_ clear."

Hiccup did as instructed. And after throwing the powder into the fireplace, large emerald flames emerged and swallowed Hiccup's luggage. When the flames disappeared, so did Hiccup's belongings. Hiccup repeated the process, this time, transporting himself to Platform 9 ¾.

Hiccup felt like he was being sucked into a vortex, as his body travelled at high speeds to another fireplace. Hiccup was at King's Cross and he saw the instructor from Arendelle. The instructor had demonstrated to the Berkians on how to use the Floo Network. All he had to do now was wait from the other side and hope that all of them didn't end up at wrong destinations. He loaded Hiccup's suitcases onto a trolley, telling Hiccup to step off of the large fireplace before someone else arrived.

Hiccup waited for his friends before heading to the Hogwarts Express, the large black and red steam locomotive. His father, Stoick, came to see him and his friends off, before riding his dragon back to Berk. By boat, getting to Arendelle was exhausting and took nearly four days. Riding on dragons on the other hand, would've taken several hours without tiring the dragon.

Astrid, Snotlout, and the Thorston Twins made it into the train first, presumably sharing one compartment for themselves. Fishlegs waited for Hiccup instead.

Hiccup's dad was talking to another man, both laughing, showing that they already knew each other. Hiccup went to see the other man. He was as tall and large like his father, even having red hair, but barely a beard compared to Stoick's. The large man saw Hiccup, being towered by two giant people.

"Is this your boy?! Haha, he's definitely his mother!" The man smacked Hiccup on the back, unaware of Hiccup's lack of strength.

"Sorry lad." He was now rubbing Hiccup's back.

"Hiccup, this is King Fergus of Dunbroch. But if you ask me, he is better at the less 'king-like activities' like hunting monsters with his own two hands." Stoick and Fergus were laughing again.

King Fergus began talking about a monster he had battled, a demon bear apparently. Hiccup saw Fergus' wife rubbing her forehead as if she was embarrassed.

"Our girl is also starting her first year too. Who knows? Maybe they'll be friends like me and Valka." That was the only possibility Stoick and Fergus knew each other. If Hiccup's dad didn't go to Hogwarts then it was his mother whom they shared a mutual relationship with.

While the two men were making jokes again, Hiccup looked around but saw no daughter. Elinor brought her attention to Hiccup so it would cancel out her husband's antic sense of humour. She told him that her daughter's name was Merida, and she had already boarded the train.

Hiccup said his farewell to his father. He then went into the train with Fishlegs, searching for a compartment. The compartment Hiccup chose had the person he met at Diagon Alley.

The door slid open and Jack was surprised. He expected it to be only him to be in the compartment, for the entirety of the ride.

"Hey," greeted Jack.

"Hi, Jack. This is my other friend from Berk, Fishlegs."

" _Only_ friend from Berk," interjected Fishlegs.

Jack saw the boy enter. He was much larger than Hiccup and Jack combined. Fishlegs had blue eyes and blonde hair, possibly related to Astrid.

"Fishlegs?" Another strange name for Jack to remember.

* * *

Merida searched for a compartment but at least every compartment was occupied. There were roughly six carriages, which had the capacity of carrying nearly two-hundred and forty passengers. There used to be eight passengers, until more and more students left Hogwarts.

The entire time there was no point with rushing to get to the train. Merida had to do the thing she wished she didn't have to do: Share. She found one compartment with three females. What choice did she have?

The door slowly slid as Merida grabbed the handle, cold to her touch. The three pairs of eyes landed on her, as she closed the door behind her.

"Sorry, there were no more empty rooms." Merida watched as the three girls smiled.

"It's okay." The blonde haired girl gestured for Merida to sit next to her.

On the other side of the compartment were the other girls. One was younger than the other.

"I'm Rapunzel. This is Anna and her older sister Elsa." The two waved at Merida.

"I'm Merida. You two are sisters?" Merida couldn't believe that they were sisters. Elsa had platinum blonde hair while her sister had a very light brown to orange.

"We're actually three years apart. I was born with white hair while Anna shares the hair colour of our father. I'm in my fourth year this year and I'm guessing you two the same age as Anna."

"It's fine for Elsa, really, she has really cool friends at Hogwarts." Elsa smiled at Anna's comment but did not make eye contact. Anna was attempting to bond with her sister, but barely progressed. Merida and Rapunzel could tell.

It then hit Merida. Her mother would've scolded her if she hadn't recognised the two sisters.

 _A princess must be knowledgeable of all the kingdoms._

"You're the two princesses of Arendelle." It caught Elsa's attention and Anna was nodding.

"You know about us?" asked Anna.

"Never seen your faces, just heard a lot about Arendelle. My mother always has to make sure that I learn about the other kingdoms. I am also the Princess of Dunbroch."

Rapunzel was surprised. The three girls were talking about being princesses, while she sat in the compartment listening. It made Rapunzel feel marginalised.

"You okay, Rapunzel?" Merida tapped Rapunzel on the shoulder, making her flinch and almost causing Pascal to fall out of her hair.

"Oh—I'm okay. It's just… There are so many princesses here." Rapunzel didn't know how to word it properly. She didn't want them to know that she felt left out. Wanting to be a princess sounded greedy and selfish of her.

"It's actually natural for families of royalty to attend Hogwarts. That's how they gained royalty in the first place, having magic," explained Elsa.

The conversation carried on for hours and Rapunzel didn't remember when she started daydreaming. She thought of the moment she was heading to the train.

"Rapunzel! Your wand! Stupid child." Rapunzel had dropped her wand without notice. She started to panic after a few minutes of searching. What if it meant that Rapunzel was never supposed to go? What if it was fate?

A very kind girl had found the wand. She lent it to Rapunzel, but disappeared before Rapunzel could even thank her. Gothel's tone also lowered, as she didn't want the public to hear her true nature. Nobody would've accepted the way she treated Rapunzel. Gothel asked Rapunzel to promise that she would come home as soon as possible. Rapunzel nodded to her and went into her arms after her mother opened them.

"I promise," and when Rapunzel made promises, she never broke them.

* * *

Astrid entered her compartment after changing into her uniform for Hogwarts. She was the last out of the people in her compartment.

"So Hiccup and Fishlegs are together with Hiccup's new friend from Diagon Alley," announced Astrid, while sitting next to Ruffnut.

It was a hassle to sit with Snotlout. She remembered the situation, like reading a map.

"Here, I saved you a seat, babe," said Snotlout when they first entered the compartment. He was patting the empty seat next to him.

"Ugh. Hey Tuffnut, mind if I take your seat?" asked Astrid.

"It would be my pleasure. Anywhere from this sleazy bag of bile," said Tuffnut bitterly, making Ruffnut stick her tongue out at him.

Snotlout was short, but not as short as Hiccup. But he was overweight, and Hiccup wasn't. Being overweight in Viking standards didn't matter, even for women. Having fat was a sign of wealth because you had enough food to eat; it was also a sign of strength. So far Hiccup and Tuffnut didn't fit the standards because they were as thin as Astrid and Ruffnut. They preferred the agility when in combat, except for Hiccup, who didn't find anything fun when fighting.

* * *

"The Ministry of Magic are the people in charge of laws in the wizarding world. In the past, there were many Ministries of Magic around the world, each in charge of different areas, until Year X. When the war severely weakened the source of magic, casting spells didn't work anywhere else but Great Britain. So therefore, the British Ministry of Magic in London is now the only body that governs the entire wizarding world."

Fishlegs was mentoring both Hiccup and Jack. There were many questions that had to be answered before setting foot on Hogwarts grounds.

"And the Ministry of Magic doesn't make laws about the concerns of discrimination against blood purity?" asked Jack.

"Not exactly. The Ministry worry about the larger concerns like crimes and potential disasters. Don't worry, Hiccup is a half-blood. His dad is non-magical and his mother was a witch. I'm a pure-blood, but I also believe that the idea is flawed. You see… wizard families are able to have children that possess no magic. It's occurred at least once in every family tree. In the past, some families disowned their non-magical child in order to keep the bloodline 'pure'. Those children are known as Squibs. One of my ancestors was a Squib, proving that my bloodline is not exactly pure." Fishlegs made Jack feel better.

"It's true that my dad has no magic, but his dad—my grandfather, went to Hogwarts." The conversation stopped flowing and a thought had occurred to Hiccup. What if Hiccup also had the potential of getting bullied for being half-blood? Only one person had bullied him about it in the past.

"Hey Fishlegs. You don't think Dagur might… you know…"

"Don't even make me think about that. He _is_ our age too," sighed Fishlegs, turning his head towards the window.

"Who's Dagger?" asked Jack.

"Dagur is a different Viking from another tribe, the Berserkers. His father is not so dangerous. But Dagur the Deranged is the most insane storm of madness you could ever encounter. If Dagur goes to Hogwarts, avoid him at all costs. He almost drowned me once when he mocked that I was a half-blood," explained Hiccup while watching Jack's face morph into fear and confusion.

"Even half-bloods?"

"Even half-bloods," nodded Hiccup. "They are still bullied—less often than Muggle-borns—because they are believed to have a tainted bloodline," said Hiccup admittedly.

"You know, Jack, most Squibs live a normal life in the Muggle world. Eventually, down the family tree, a family member might experience magical qualities. Next thing they know, there is a whole new world and they can be part of it." Hiccup was hinting that it was about Jack.

Fishlegs got off his seat and told them that they had to change into their uniform before arriving to Hogwarts. Fishlegs was the first to leave the compartment.

"So how does Fishlegs know all that stuff and you don't?" queried Jack.

"Fishlegs spends most of his time reading the archives of Berk. Some of the archives would at least mention the information and past of the wizarding world. Fishlegs would've told me if I was actually close to him." Hiccup then waited until Fishlegs returned.

Jack felt that there was no difference between blood purity. Jack was just like all other wizards, all being able to cast spells. When Jack received his wand, he tested it out. The wandmaker taught Jack a few spells and they found out that he was specialised with the ice spells. Ever since that day, Jack had always practiced the Freezing Spell within his room at the Leaky Cauldron. The air turned cold and the mirror and windows frosted every time he used the spell. The only time Jack took breaks from the spell was when he also felt too cold, seeing the vapour escape from his breath.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express came to an end. The sensation of the train stopping woke everyone up. Neither Jack nor Hiccup slept; bursts of excitement kept them up instead. Fishlegs fell asleep during the ride before they noticed. Luckily, Fishlegs had all the space in the compartment.

The sun had already finished its journey across the sky. The stars were flaring with energy. It was neither dusk nor dawn. The moon was nowhere to be seen, probably because it was with the sun during daytime.

The students gathered outside the train at Hogsmeade Station; there were barely any buildings near them.

"I don't get it. Where's the castle?" wondered Jack as his expectations were decreasing.

"Over there, look. See the lights?" Jack followed Hiccup's finger and saw the colossal structure in the distance.

"We're walking there?" It would've taken approximately ten to twenty minutes by foot. Not that Jack was complaining. He needed to stretch his legs after the ride.

"First years! This way! First years! This way!" It was a large man speaking and Hiccup knew him.

"Gobber!" Hiccup stood in front of him along with the other Berk children.

"Oh hey. Glad to see all of you together in one piece." Gobber pointed to a path where they had to go. The older students were headed to another path.

They reached a docks. There was now a giant lake separating them from Hogwarts, which could now be seen clearly. The pointed roofs were like the castles from medieval picture books.

Gobber instructed the first years to get on boats, fitting only four people each. Hiccup, Jack and Fishlegs got on a boat and waited for a fourth member.

While crossing the endless lake, Jack took a moment to admire the scenery. Hogwarts had many towers protruding from the walls; it really was a castle. The lake was bottomless and he had no doubt that something lived in the waters. Jack saw trees near the castle, looking like the ones from horror stories. There was a line of carriages going around the lake, probably the older students. Jack looked up and saw the stars, brighter and more vibrant compared to the sky at Hawthorne.

"No light pollution," said the fourth student who was with them on the boat.

Jack, Hiccup, and Fishlegs glanced towards him. The boy wore glasses and they saw that he was of Asian descent.

"Apparently electricity doesn't work at Hogwarts. Magic makes technology act up and therefore, boom… no light pollution." Glasses Boy pulled a device from his pocket, a phone. He waved it in front of them while pushing a button to prove his statement.

They exited the boat when it reached a small structure called the Boathouse, an area that acted as the harbour. Glasses Boy introduced himself to the three.

"Name's John, John Wan. I travelled all the way from China." John was acting very casual towards them. He appeared like the type to easily make friends with people.

"So North found you? You were the other student Professor North mentioned. But I didn't see you at the Leaky Cauldron," said Jack. John's eyebrows lifted.

"My whole family knew about the wizarding world, and we already had a fireplace to use Floo powder. North came to deliver the letter. Apparently it's dangerous to send the letters using magic," said John while they were walking towards a painting.

"Dangerous? Why?" The portrait opened and they ended up at a large room where staircases connected many floors. John had forgotten about Jack's question, and so did Jack.

A young woman appeared before them and led them behind giant double doors. The lady had brown skin and brown eyes; her hair was flawlessly tied up as if she was dressed for a formal event. She wore a green robe and had the most uplifting expression that made her not seem very strict.

"Students, can I have a minute? First of all, I would like to welcome each and every one of you to this wonderful school. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Moonhaven. We are pleased to have you here, learning where you excel in the different areas of magic. Before I open this door, I would like to warn you guys that all the other students will be able to see you. Just don't freak out. Treat it like it's the best day of your life. In the Great Hall, each of you will be sorted into different houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. It will be a breeze. All you need to do is grab a special wand when I call your name. Are there any questions?" Moonhaven waited and saw two hands up.

"Yes?"

A girl appeared from the crowd. "Do we have to get sorted?"

"Why of course. You and your housemates have to share dormitories and work together to earn more points than the other house. Points are gained through behaving and proving your worth here at Hogwarts. If you disobey, we can deduct your points too. Are there any more questions?"

There was one more hand at the back of the crowd.

"Yes, you all the way back there. In a big loud voice so we can hear you."

"When do we learn how to use life threatening spells against opponents?" The boy pushed everyone aside and headed to the front. Moonhaven paused.

Hiccup saw the boy. He hoped it wasn't whom he thought it was judging by the voice. Hiccup heard the gasp of Fishlegs and looked at Astrid. She, Snotlout, and the Thorston Twins shared the same look. Jack knew by looking at Hiccup and Fishlegs' reaction, his time at Hogwarts might become hell.


	4. Assorted Flames

Moonhaven observed the boy who pushed through to the front. He had dark red hair and war paint across his left eye, resembling three scratches. He grinned like an actual maniac, thirsty for violence.

"I'm afraid first year students have to wait until next year to learn defensive spells—maybe for you, two years to get the hang of it. But 'life threatening spells' are definitely banned, unless you're under strict supervision." Moonhaven treated Dagur's question as if it was unimportant. There was that hint of insult too, which only some students picked up.

Another student raised their hand.

"Yes, you there." The girl was close, so she didn't need to yell.

"So how do we know which house we got into?"

"Right, sorry for not explaining that part. The wand you hold is special. It channels your inner thoughts and projects your Core Magic. Depending on the colour of your Core Magic determines the house you are sorted into. Red is Gryffindor, yellow is Hufflepuff, blue is Ravenclaw, and green is Slytherin. If you forget that, then just head to whichever house is cheering the most."

While more students were asking questions. Jack was thinking of his own questions, but he was worried if it was too easy to be answered, that it would give away his blood status. He tapped Fishlegs instead.

"What is Core Magic?" whispered Jack. Fishlegs had the face that meant there was an obvious answer. Jack was relieved that he asked Fishlegs instead of Moonhaven.

"It's the magical essence that exists in wizards only. It has nothing to do with blood purity. It just determines if a person can create magic or not," answered Fishlegs, only making himself audible to Jack.

The students filed in two lines as instructed by Moonhaven. They were now ready to enter the Great Hall.

Jack closed his eyes as soon as the doors opened. The lights inside were blinding compared to the dim torches where he previously was. There were floating candles and brass dishes of fire that caused the overflow of light. Four long tables stretched to the end of the hall, two on the left and two on the right, filled with other students. At the end of the hall was another table, presumably for the staff of Hogwarts. Jack saw North on that table, unsure if North could see him among the first years. Above Jack was the Enchanted Ceiling, bewitched to resemble the sky. Still, the moon was not present.

The first years made it to the end of the hall, while the older students focused on them. There were steps at the end that led to the High Table. Between the steps and the High Table was a pedestal, containing a small white pillow and a white wand resting on top of it.

"When I call your name, you are to walk up the steps and firmly hold onto the wand." Moonhaven rolled out a scroll, which contained a list of all first year students.

"Elizabeth Allen," announced Moonhaven.

The girl was slightly nervous at all the people staring at her. She took the first few steps and stood in front of the pedestal. The wand that was laid on the pillow was grabbed by Elizabeth, as people waited. A yellow spell emerged from the wand and flowed in the air. Her eyes turned yellow too. The Core Magic resembled fire as it dilated at an exponential rate. The yellow fire then formed into a badger and ran around in the air, causing one of the tables to stand and cheer for little Elizabeth.

Moonhaven nodded at Elizabeth, indicating that she was done. She placed the wand back down and headed to the table of Hufflepuffs. The yellow badger faded into thin air.

"Anna Arendelle."

Anna closed her eyes for two seconds. She made her way up and grabbed the wand. The white wand shot out a blue spell and it built up into an eagle, flying and dominating the room with the blue glow. The Ravenclaws cheered and Anna was relieved. She was officially in the same house as her sister.

"Kristoff Bjorgman." The blonde kid got sorted into Hufflepuff like the first girl.

Eventually, all the excitement for the first years lowered. The next girl got sorted into Slytherin. The Core Magic was a green snake, slithering around the air. Some could argue that it was a basilisk due to its massive size.

"Gertrude Dibra."

Jack took this opportunity to ask Fishlegs another question before they got called up.

"What's the point of getting sorted?" Hiccup joined in to listen too.

"They believe it's beneficial to work with people who have similar qualities. Gryffindors are known to be the brave. Hufflepuff is the house of kindness. Ravenclaw is intelligence, and Slytherin is ambition. There used to be fights between houses in the past. But don't worry, these days the fights are just about blood purity." Fishlegs finished whispering. Was that supposed to make Jack feel better?"

"Norman Dingwall."

"You know, Jack. It's also a stereotype that bad people get sorted into Slytherin. I'm betting that Dagur gets sorted into that house," whispered Hiccup, making Jack chuckle quietly.

* * *

After watching a girl get sorted into Ravenclaw, Merida anticipated that her turn was next. She had stood next to Rapunzel this entire time, even after Anna got sorted. Watching those few get sorted made Merida notice that their eyes glowed the same colour the flames did too.

"Merida Dunbroch," called Moonhaven.

Merida heard Rapunzel whispering to her, wishing her luck. She turned to smile at Rapunzel and walked to the wand. She didn't hope to get into any particular house, but she knew that if she was not sorted into Gryffindor—like her mother and father—then her mother would use it against her if they got into any future arguments.

The Sorting Wand streamed a jet of green flames in front of Merida. The Core Magic formed into a snake and flew across the hall. The whistling of the Core Magic muffled out the screech of the snake.

The Slytherins cheered and Merida was not disappointed, but the thought of her mother knowing this might make the path she intended to walk on rough. Her mother and father had enemies during their time at Hogwarts; it's troubling that those 'enemies' were all in Slytherin.

Merida sat with the Slytherins. She was the second to be sorted into that house. While the ceremony continued, Merida saw Rapunzel standing on her own. Rapunzel and Merida made eye contact and Merida held up her fist, giving her the courage and luck she needed—if she had a preference for the sorting of course.

"Rapunzel Gothel."

Rapunzel felt tense, like she was about to throw up in front of everyone. She took the first few steps towards the wand. Rapunzel thought the silence made things worse, but she was proven wrong when she heard the whispering of the students. Rapunzel held the wand with a firm grip, causing a blue light to emerge. The eagle soared around the hall and its cry was audible above the sound of Core Magic.

The Ravenclaws clapped for her, but she didn't feel the relief enter her yet. Rapunzel expected to be sorted into Hufflepuff, or even Gryffindor. Merida had explained to her the four houses when they were on the train. Rapunzel never thought that she was smart.

 _Stupid girl! Stupid girl! Stupid girl!_

But Rapunzel had forgotten something: Anna was sorted into Ravenclaw as well. Rapunzel finally felt her nerves loosen, but she felt a bit of pity for Merida, not being with them.

Anna was elated that the two were in the same house. They were watching the Sorting ceremony continue until they heard a Ravenclaw nearby speak.

"Nobody in Gryffindor yet huh?"

* * *

"Hiccup Haddock." There were small giggles that sounded around the hall.

It was Hiccup's moment: To prove to his father that the courageousness him and his mother both possessed was real. The times of feeling unworthy would end after this very moment, only if he saw the red flames in his Core Magic. He'd be the first too. Perhaps he'd be nicknamed: 'The First Gryffindor of 2493'.

Hiccup held the wand and had hope that he'd be sorted into Gryffindor. Hiccup looked closely at the flames and could've sworn that the flames were shifting from green to red. Despite it taking only a fraction of a second, Hiccup's mind was also thinking during that same time frame.

"Please go to red, not green. I beg of you, please go to red," he thought.

Instead of any of those colours, a yellow flame appeared, which caught Hiccup by surprise. The badger ran around and the Hufflepuffs cheered again. Hiccup placed on a fake smile and headed to the table.

"Excellent," he muttered sarcastically.

On the table, Hiccup had interacted with some of the other Hufflepuffs his age. He thought of the next letters and knew that the next few were going to be from Berk.

"H, I, J. Hofferson, Ingerman, Jorgenson."

…

Jack saw Hiccup's reaction when he got sorted into Hufflepuff. It was slightly amusing, if Jack was honest. He knew Hiccup wanted to be in Gryffindor, even Ravenclaw would've been a better fit for Hiccup. But Jack couldn't say that Hiccup was not friendly and that he didn't belong in Hufflepuff.

"Astrid Hofferson." Another person Jack knew.

Red flames emerged from the wand and the Gryffindor table finally started cheering, louder than the other houses. Their first Gryffindor had finally joined them.

"Fishlegs Ingerman." The same giggles were heard.

Fishlegs got sorted into Ravenclaw, as Jack suspected. It was good for Jack since it would mean that he'd only have to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff to be with one of his friends. Perhaps he could be Astrid's friend if he got into Gryffindor.

"Snotlout Jorgenson." The chubby Viking made his way to the wand and it projected red flames.

The Gryffindor table roared like before and Snotlout happily sat next to Astrid, which made her scoff and laugh.

The list went on for a while before Jack's name was called out.

"Jackson Overland," called Moonhaven.

Jack looked at the High Table and this time, North was looking at Jack. It was out of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff.

Jack grabbed the wand and watched as red flames appeared, dancing around the hall just like everyone's Core Magic.

The Gryffindors cheered and Jack made it to his seat opposite to Astrid. It wasn't his most desirable option, but he would make the most out of it, starting with being friends with Astrid and Snotlout.

"William Pherigo." Gryffindor.

"Flynn Rider." Slytherin.

"Christopher Salcedo." Gryffindor.

The students began to get sorted into Gryffindor more frequently now. The twins from Berk both got sorted into Gryffindor. When it reached Dagur, Jack hoped that he got sorted into Slytherin, away from him, Fishlegs, and Hiccup.

When Dagur got up, he presented the cockiest attitude Jack had ever witnessed, provoking him to punch the pride out of that smug face. Dagur got sorted into Slytherin. Luck was still with Jack that night.

* * *

After Dagur Vestarson, the students began talking as they ignored the remaining students: The final three. Only Merida focused at those last students.

The third last wore glasses and had spiky black hair. Blue.

The next was a girl. Her expression was calm and collected. Yellow.

The last was a boy with black hair and silver eyes; he had no expression whatsoever. Green.

Only half of the people from Merida's table clapped, but none stood up. The Sorting ceremony was finally over.

Across the table, Merida could see Rapunzel and Anna waving at her. She laughed quietly and waved back.

There was something missing whenever Merida observed the High Table. Merida began wondering where the Headmaster was. Her mother had already told her about most of the professors of Hogwarts. According to the rumours of Elinor's time at Hogwarts, some of the professors did not age, including Tsar Lunar, the Headmaster.

When the groundskeeper of Hogwarts took away the pedestal with the Sorting Wand, Moonhaven stepped up to the podium, where the Headmaster would've stood.

"Attention all." The chatter died.

"To the students who are not first years, welcome back to another year of Hogwarts. Please make the first years feel comfortable and help them if they're lost. First years, make sure you get ahead of your studies and help your classmates if they need it. The Dark Forest near the castle is out of bounds to all students. I also wouldn't suggest swimming in the Great Lake, because there are many creatures and a giant squid. Before I finish, I would like to inform everyone that the Headmaster, Professor Lunar, will not be present for a few months because of matters concerning Corona. So Astronomy is cancelled for those months. Students studying Astronomy for NEWTs will have a replacement instead."

Moonhaven waved her hands and food magically appeared on all tables. There were different kinds of food Merida could see, from healthy to junk, regular to exotic, and delicious to disgusting. The choir began singing while people ate.

The girls of Merida's table were socialising, but what they spoke about wasn't amusing. The girl next to Merida did not speak either; instead, she turned to Merida. She had green eyes, black hair, and a braid that hung over her left shoulder.

"I'm Heather." She held out her hand in front of Merida. The red haired girl had no choice but to shake it—not that she was reluctant to.

"Merida." She knew that socialising was one of her weaknesses. She was a princess, but she lacked the capabilities to communicate effectively to others. How was she going to lead her people when she becomes queen?

"Where are you from, Merida?"

"London, although I used to live here in Scotland." Merida didn't want to talk about her being a princess. She'd do anything to not feel like one for a week.

"What changed?" The conversation carried on.

"It became dangerous so we decided to live a Muggle lifestyle." Merida expected the girl to dislike her. She knew Slytherins hated Muggles, the people who possessed no magic at all. Muggle-borns were just as hated, treated as frauds who went to Hogwarts.

"Really? Well I'm from an island far north. We train dragons there," said Heather, showing no sign of resentment towards Merida living among non-magical people. Merida didn't know if the social standards were the same around the dragon villages. They lived in a similar style as other magical cities like Arendelle and Corona.

"So you're from Berk? Led by Stoick the Vast?" asked Merida.

"No, when I was little, my village was raided by Outcasts, Berk's enemy tribe." Berk was the only place Merida knew that trained dragons. Not only did she not know that there were more, but that they were still in war between each other. Deep down it made her want to live as a Viking, which her mother would've rejected immediately.

"I never really knew my family. I was the only one that survived for some reason—must have been luck. So now I live among the enemies, but it's not all bad since I grew up with them."

"Sounds tough." Merida didn't know how to enlighten the mood. But Heather's smile meant that they were still in good terms.

* * *

Hiccup sat awkwardly at Hufflepuff table. Most of his friends were at Gryffindor, including Jack. Fishlegs appeared to be having fun, talking with a bunch of Ravenclaws about whatever they found interesting. It shouldn't be a problem making friends with the Hufflepuffs.

"Hey, you're pretty quiet." Hiccup looked and saw a blonde boy who had a reassuring face.

"Oh yeah. You know, really wanted to be part of Hufflepuff." Why did the Sorting Wand trick Hiccup with the display of red and green lights?

"Were you expecting Gryffindor or Slytherin? Don't worry, we were all thinking the same thing."

"You were?" asked Hiccup, without the sarcasm.

"Sure. Apparently, from what the older students know, the Sorting Wand does that before creating the yellow Core Magic." It didn't make Hiccup feel any better. Now it sounded like he was always meant to be in Hufflepuff.

"It's Kristoff by the way, Kristoff Bjorgman." Hiccup remembered that name. Kristoff was one of the first students that got sorted.

Eventually, Hiccup felt comfortable with the Hufflepuffs. Hiccup met Lucas MacGuffin who preferred it when people call him by his last name. MacGuffin was large like Fishlegs; he had long hair that was tied back and he was very quiet. When MacGuffin spoke, it was either very quiet, or in a strange accent which made Hiccup unable to understand. The place MacGuffin was from was also called MacGuffin. His father was the leader of the clan, something Hiccup could relate to with MacGuffin.

Coincidently, MacGuffin was in the same house as two other people who were his childhood friends, Mark Macintosh and Norman Dingwall. They all preferred to go by their last names too. The three clans were in Scotland, led by another larger clan called Dunbroch. Another connection Hiccup tied in his head. His dad knew King Fergus of Dunbroch, who led the clans, and those three boys were part of those clans.

"Small world," thought Hiccup.

* * *

Jack made friends with Tuffnut and Ruffnut, the twins of Berk. Snotlout and Astrid weren't the type to instantly become friends with people, but eventually he'll make an effort to talk to them. All the first year Gryffindors met Nod, a fourth year. Nod was also from North America like Jack, so he took a liking to him.

"Don't give up too easily, Jack. My friend struggled in Hogwarts because he didn't try hard enough. He left Hogwarts last year," warned Nod.

"Leave? You can leave Hogwarts?"

"Sure, you'd be surprised. It's usually one or two that leave in each house."

* * *

Rapunzel was having a great time with Anna and Elsa. She had met Fishlegs, who started a conversation with Anna. Rapunzel learnt that Fishlegs was a Viking who lived on a dragon-infested island, raising them as companions.

"So you enjoyed your stay at Arendelle?" asked Anna.

"I did. The buildings are a lot different from Berk's," answered Fishlegs

"Do you have a dragon, Fishlegs?" asked Rapunzel.

"Not yet. Until we turn thirteen, we can choose a dragon. When we turn fourteen, we are tested and then we are granted full permission to fly our dragons whenever and wherever."

Pascal came out of Rapunzel's blonde hair, wanting to engulf every food in sight. The Ravenclaws played with the chameleon, as if seeing a chameleon was a once in a lifetime chance.

* * *

The students were sent to their common rooms. Prefects of each house escorted the first years to their designated rooms. Only students in their fifth year or above could become prefects, which was chosen by the Headmaster. The Gryffindor common room was situated in one of the towers, requiring someone to say the password: Veela's Dream, which revealed a passage behind a large painting.

Jack stayed put in the common rooms. It was only against the rules to leave the common room. Though it wasn't visible with all the lights off, the common room had walls made up of red tapestries. There were many comfortable armchairs to sit on, and one was occupied, facing the window.

"I knew you'd be the one to stay up." Jack saw Nod standing at the doorway that led to the dormitories. Jack didn't know how to reply.

"I'm guessing you didn't sleep on the train either." Nod sat on the armchair near Jack. The fireplace was still blazing his heat. The school did whatever to keep students comfortable from what Jack observed.

"I'm just wondering what my family is doing without me now, that's all. What am I supposed to do at Hogwarts? I don't have anything to look forward to." Jack heard Nod shift slightly on his armchair, ready to answer.

"There's a lot. First you're gonna find out which subject is your favourite. Then you're gonna have to figure out who your real friends are, the one's that won't leave you behind. Next year you might be able to join the Quidditch team. It's a sport in case you're wondering."

The pause came between the two.

"So you're from North America like me. Where from?"

"Moonhaven. It's a magical city hidden from even the wizarding world. Only some of the professors and the Ministry of Magic know where it's located. I may be a half-blood, but I _know_ that you'll run into obstacles. Just don't let it bring you down."

"Moonhaven? You mean like Professor Moonhaven?" asked Jack.

"Yeah. She's the Queen of Moonhaven too. Moonhaven has worked hard to keep that kingdom safe while she's gone."

Nod stood up and told Jack to follow his advice on perseverance. Jack nodded and ended up back in his dormitory, where all the Gryffindor males his age were sleeping under the moonless night.

* * *

Merida planned to sleep immediately in order to avoid interactions with the other Slytherin females. Her common room was underground, in the dungeons. It required a password to open a secret entrance from the cobblestone wall.

"Not in the mood to talk?" It was Heather. Merida sat up. Only Heather was fine to be with. The others sounded like bad news.

"Just sleepy." The two girls looked at their other Slytherin room-mates, making friends with each other by talking about their family's success. Merida knew that talking about her family in front of them would bring theirs to shame. Heather on the other hand found it a sensitive topic.

"So why did you tell me about your history? We're not that close yet," asked Merida, making Heather laugh a little.

"That's not all of my secrets, Merida. Anyway, I won't disturb you from your beauty sleep, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Heather got to her four-poster bed.

Merida wondered what Rapunzel and Anna's dormitory was like. It probably didn't have the sound of the Black Lake echoing in the rooms. Instead, they should be hearing a lot of wind since their common room was called 'Ravenclaw Tower'.

* * *

Hiccup made it to bed after being dismissed by his Head of House, Professor Mansnoozie. Mansnoozie was golden. Literally. He was entirely made up of sand. He didn't speak either; he communicated using the golden sand he conjured instead. The golden sand was a skill only he possessed apparently.

Hiccup's common room was near the kitchens, close to the Great Hall. It was underground, and had that cosy atmosphere when someone was tucked in bed. The elves had placed everyone's suitcases from the train to their dormitories. Hiccup unpacked his belongings and found a letter inside. He didn't remember putting a letter in there before.

 _Dear Hiccup_

 _If you're reading this then you have successfully reached Hogwarts.  
_ _I just want you to know that your mother would've been proud.  
_ _She wasn't very fond of fighting dragons, just like you.  
_ _But she was a talented Gryffindor, according to Phlegma.  
_ _Perhaps you'd make a great wizard like your mother.  
_ _Anyway, work hard, and don't get yourself into a lot of trouble._

 _Chief Stoick the Vast_

"Great. Dad probably thinks I'm in Gryffindor." Hiccup's eyes felt heavy. Were the rooms bewitched to make people easily fall asleep?


	5. First Classes

Under the castle, where the Slytherin common rooms lay hidden, Jack's first class began. Potions was the subject of not only creating potions, but also following the correct procedures that would avoid future accidents. It was known in the past that wizards who brewed potions incorrectly have faced severe consequences, which could've been fatal.

Jack had breakfast with the entire school at the Great Hall. He was not looking forward for this class, after hearing enough from Nod. The colossal downside for this subject was the professor, who loved teaching in a strict manner.

Breakfast for the students began at 7:30 am for the early birds, and ended at 9:00 am before class commenced. Like the feast, there was a variety of food, ranging from cereal, bread, and even grilled fish.

There were seven periods each day that all ended on 4:00 pm. Usually the seventh period was free. Except on Fridays, where Jack had flying lessons.

The Potions classroom was chilly and it didn't help that the morning was always cold. There wasn't enough light in the classroom, only the ambient green glow from a cauldron nearby. There were also jars containing animal parts lined up on a shelf, enhancing the lifeless mood.

Jack sat next to Fishlegs in class. The tables were large enough to fit a single station, where people were required to work in pairs. He now wondered whom he'd sit next to after Potions. Slytherin was known to be the least friendly, and Jack had Charms with them.

The professor entered the classroom while everyone was not paying attention. The voices gradually died down as if the professor was slowly snuffing out candles, which filled the room with life. He stood in a straight posture and had a rather unsettling appearance. His skin was completely grey and he had jet-black hair, lacking vibrancy all over his skin. His eyes were the most distinct feature, glowing yellow in the monochromatic face.

"Good morning, students." He spoke in a deep and intimidating tone.

"I am Professor Black, your Potions teacher." Silence filled the room. He began talking about the curriculum, and what he expected each student to achieve in order to pass his class.

As Professor Black was writing on the board, Jack thought to himself. Professor Black was like the monster of everyone's childhood. If he was a legend, then he could've been an urban folklore that frightened children.

 _Your childhood might have to stay with you for a little longer._

If the man really was a manifestation of darkness and fear, why was he teaching at Hogwarts? Should Jack fear this man?

Horror stories—like the Boogeyman—always made life hard for Jack and Emma back at Hawthorne. Every night, Jack always helped Emma sleep by pretending to scare the monsters away. When Jack was young enough to not act brave, he would hide underneath the blankets from the so-called Boogeyman, the main stem of Jack's fear.

Jack looked around and people were taking notes on their parchments, using quills with ink instead of pencils or pens. Jack and Fishlegs were the furthest back. The station next to them had John, who was next to the blonde from Jack's house. In front of them were the twins, pranking each other and causing Professor Black to give them detention on the first day.

* * *

Merida had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. The classroom was situated outside the castle, in one of the greenhouses.

Their professor for Herbology was Professor Moonhaven, the Deputy Headmistress. There wasn't a lot that happened, only an introduction to the class. Herbology was tied with other subjects. Some plants researched could be ingredients essential for particular potions, or the ways to deal with deadly plants required knowledge of casting spells from Charms or Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Merida avoided the eye contact of all students, not feeling like she wanted to make friends.

"You over there, please pay attention, thank you." Merida tensed but saw that Moonhaven was talking to another Slytherin, Vanessa Cacklestare.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and Moonhaven continued on. Merida observed the girl: Dark hair and blue eyes. Vanessa appeared like the common rude people you would see in every school. Merida then thought that she didn't want to be like cold and blunt Vanessa. If Hogwarts was going to be an enjoyable year for her, away from her mother's lectures, then she had to make an effort.

Merida didn't have anybody in particular to become friends with. There was only Heather from Slytherin. She wondered if it would've been normal to become friends with people from other houses, like Rapunzel and Anna. What Merida really hoped to achieve was to become really close to a Gryffindor, just to prove her mother wrong about Slytherins—wrong about her.

This was her path, the one she wanted to continue on. There were many crossroads, but the only decision she'd abandon would be the path behind her.

The bell rang, indicating the next period. It sounded louder to them now than in the Great Hall. That was because the greenhouses here were located directly under the bell towers.

It was not long that the second bell went. Herbology was over for today.

* * *

Hiccup left the greenhouses to go find the library. If his intuitions were correct, then the Ravenclaws were there. He had asked Fishlegs if he had the two periods off after his first two during breakfast, luckily they both were free.

Hiccup had heard the laughter of a maniac nearby, shooting warnings all over his head. Hiccup turned and luckily Dagur had not noticed that Hiccup was near. Hiccup bolted to the castle and made his way through the stairs, finding the library where many students entered.

The library was enormous, containing thousands of books that would take many lifetimes to finish reading. The whereabouts of Fishlegs was unknown.

Hiccup saw a familiar face. The boy had the Ravenclaw symbol on his robe with blue trimmings. It was John who noticed Hiccup approaching.

"Hiccup, how you doin', man?" John was being enthusiastic.

"Hey, John. Do you know where Fishlegs is?" asked Hiccup.

"Fishlegs is…?" Hiccup was astonished. Was John being serious or funny is what Hiccup wondered.

"The one who was on the boat with us. Large, blonde hair, blue eyes…"

"Oh! Yes, I was just with him. He's at the area about dragons," said John.

The two parted and Hiccup found Fishlegs. Fishlegs was studying with other Ravenclaws. Hiccup sat on an empty seat next to Fishlegs. Apparently that was the seat John sat on.

"Studying already?" asked Hiccup.

"I would if I were you. When you have your first class of Potions, you'll understand." Said Fishlegs.

"What's the problem with Potions? Hard?"

"Professor Black." A blonde girl added. She joined the conversation and introduced herself to Hiccup. Her name was Rapunzel and she carried a chameleon that hid in her hair.

"So what did you learn in Herbology, Hiccup?" asked Rapunzel.

"Plants, obviously. There was something called a Bouncing Bulb. And there was something else Moonhaven did. She was able to grow plants with the wave of her hand, without an incantation too," explained Hiccup.

"I don't think that's common, Hiccup. Nonverbal and wandless magic is possible with a lot of discipline and hard work. I think it's around the fifth or sixth year where we learn how to cast spells nonverbally. But wandless magic is extremely rare," said Fishlegs.

The conversation drifted to another topic, one about their houses.

"I really wanted to be in Gryffindor. Believe it or not, when I held the Sorting Wand, the Core Magic was shifting between green and red." Hiccup's eyes went downcast. He still wasn't happy about his placement in Hufflepuff.

"Green and red?" asked Rapunzel and Fishlegs in unison.

"Well apparently that's what's meant to happen if you got sorted into Hufflepuff."

"Why do you want to be in Gryffindor?" asked Rapunzel.

"Because my mum was in Gryffindor. I wanted to be brave like her."

"Well I wish that I was in Hufflepuff like you, Hiccup. I never saw myself as the smart one." Rapunzel showed a slightly disappointed look.

The girl next to Rapunzel joined in, having a baffled expression.

"Are you serious Rapunzel? You're the smartest person ever, don't let these two get to you." Anna eyed the two boys.

"Oh no, Anna! They didn't do anything. I just never saw myself as the type," explained Rapunzel. She was hiding the fact that her mother was the one criticising her intelligence.

Anna looked back at Fishlegs and Hiccup. Her face transformed into one resembling the face of accidentally stepping onto a pet.

"Oh! I—I'm sorry. I was leaping into conclusions—not leaping, I can't really leap that far—more like jumping," mumbled Anna. Something Rapunzel would never do.

Fishlegs had just finished his research for Potions. The Ravenclaws and Hiccup began to socialise and they learnt about Berk and Arendelle. It took Hiccup a while to realise Anna was the Princess of Arendelle. It was a shame Jack couldn't join them because he had Charms with Slytherin.

When they exited the library at 12:10, it was just Rapunzel and Fishlegs that went with Hiccup. They were making their way to the Great Hall for lunch, since the bell had ended the fourth period ten minutes ago. Maybe Jack was there.

"Hiccup!" Hiccup flinched and turned to see Dagur.

The crazy Viking grabbed Hiccup in a lock, acting grateful to see Hiccup. He then started questioning Hiccup's position, trying to provoke him.

"You see… I don't think you should be at this school. Learning magic sounds a little… intense for a scrawny kid like you." Dagur advanced to Hiccup, ready to stab or strangle him as he reached out his fists.

Dagur knocked the bottom of Hiccup's books, sending them to the ground with a large thud. They all heard a Slytherin girl nearby laughing as she walked past them.

Dagur chuckled and left, satisfied with the humiliation he brought to the son of Stoick the Vast.

Hiccup piled his books together and Rapunzel and Fishlegs were about to help, if it weren't for that other student who appeared from nowhere. The boy was older than them judging by his appearance. His hair was auburn like Hiccup but was leaning more towards the red in comparison. He placed the remaining books on Hiccup's pile as he stood back up, revealing the green trims and the Slytherin badge.

"Thank you. Whoever you are." Hiccup watched the boy tower over him.

"Hans. Prince Hans." Hiccup wasn't surprised with the royal titles anymore.

"Don't worry about that kid. It's better to avoid him, to not let what happened just now happen again." Hans walked them to the Great Hall, then joined his friends that were from his year level.

* * *

Lunch began and Jack was by himself. Not entirely alone, he had all the Gryffindors to talk to, but Hiccup and Fishlegs were not here yet.

Jack tried memorising the people on his table. There was Astrid, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Quinn, Christopher, William, and one more. Jack looked around his table and saw the last member leave.

"Astrid. Who's that girl that just left?" Astrid followed his eyes and saw the blonde haired girl leaving via the entrance.

"I don't know. Maybe you should see where she's headed. It's pretty strange leaving the place where everybody is heading to now," suggested Astrid.

"How can you not know this girl? She's Lily, the prettiest in our house," said Snotlout.

Astrid rolled her eyes at the sound of his voice. Snotlout noticed and tried to get her attention.

"The prettiest besides you, darling." Astrid left her seat.

"I think I'm going with Jack to follow that girl called Lily." Astrid gestured for Jack to get up.

Jack and Astrid left to see where Lily went. They checked Gryffindor Tower and saw her enter through the painting. Jack sat nearby while Astrid went inside, seeing if she was in the dormitories.

When Lily got out, Astrid came to Jack shortly after.

"She was getting some supplies. I don't know what she's doing during lunch. Maybe you should follow her alone because if she catches us and sees me, she'll know we're snooping. If she catches only you on the other hand, you could tell her you were wondering around the castle." Jack nodded and Astrid went back the Great Hall.

Lily went downstairs to the dungeons. Jack lost track of the path she went to and ended up lost underground. Jack passed a student and he stopped Jack.

"Why are you here, Gryffindor?" asked the boy with malice in his eyes. His uniform bared the Slytherin emblem.

"Just exploring." Why didn't it occur to Jack that it was Dagur he was speaking to?

Dagur analysed Jack, as if he could peer into Jack's life. He began laughing in a peculiar way, as if he was expecting this moment to happen.

"A lost Gryffindor in the dungeons. It wouldn't surprise me if the Gryffindor was a Mudblood."

Jack was in trouble. If Dagur nearly drowned Hiccup for being a half-blood, what would Jack's fate be for being a 'Mudblood'?

Dagur stood in front of Jack, trying to make him uncomfortable. Jack's response was to shove Dagur forward.

"Mudblood!" shouted Dagur. He took his wand out and pointed it at Jack. Jack's initial response was to reach out for his wand, but he didn't know anything about casting magic against Dagur.

Dagur was about to attack Jack, but two professors arrived and stopped the two. They probably heard the shouting of Dagur to understand the context. The two professors were Professor Black and Professor Mansnoozie, the Head of Hufflepuff. Professor Mansnoozie's sand glinted in the dark corridors; he was made of sand, which surprised Jack.

What Jack failed to realise was that Dagur didn't pull out a wand. He pulled out a knife. Jack was given a warning, but the professors took Dagur for further punishment for threatening a student's life.

Jack turned to see Professor Mansnoozie. He didn't remind Jack of any legend. Perhaps he was a legend originating from another area other than America.

When Jack tried finding a way out, he saw the hint of blonde when he passed a Potions classroom. The room was dusty, which suggested that nobody had used it until now. Jack saw Lily crouching down, in front of a cauldron. Lily added some ingredients to the cauldron and stirred it with a ladle. There was a shelf against the back wall, already containing two potions that emitted different colours.

All of it seemed complicated to Jack. Wasn't this dangerous? He felt that this was a huge invasion of privacy, which convinced him to leave the dungeons. He returned to the Great Hall and regrouped with the Gryffindors, completely forgetting about Hiccup and Fishlegs. Everybody in Jack's house was intrigued with what he saw Lily do. She was able to brew potions without any help.

* * *

Merida was at Slytherin table with Heather. She told Heather about her mother and her hopes to make more friends for Hogwarts to be more enjoyable. Heather agreed with Merida's decision and planned to do the same.

The red haired girl saw someone talking to the Slytherin girls. He was making his way closer and closer until he reached Merida and Heather.

"Good afternoon, girls." The boy who was older than them sat in front. Merida and Heather greeted him back.

"I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles." Merida knew that place.

 _A princess must be knowledgeable of all the kingdoms._

Merida didn't bother remembering all the thirteen brothers of the Southern Isles, unlike her mother.

"I learnt about your kingdom," said Merida.

"And I learnt about _yours_ , Your Highness." Merida was slightly stunned. She saw Heather covering her mouth with her hands. Was it wrong of Merida to have hidden that fact from Heather? Heather didn't speak yet. She was waiting for Hans to finish.

"I'm doing my best remembering the new Slytherins. Tell me, how many girls are in your dormitory?" asked Hans.

"Five, including me and Heather," answered Merida.

"Well in a few years, five might become two, maybe one, maybe naught. Do you know why?" asked Hans.

"Because the decline of magic. Also the fact that we are allowed to leave Hogwarts by choice," answered Merida again.

Hans nodded and wished the girls luck with their studies.

Hans got up and left. Heather was excitedly tapping Merida, showing how Heather wasn't angry that the fact was hidden from her. She could've been if Merida left it until a few years later to tell her.

"You never told me you were a princess!" Merida was laughing in embarrassment.

"It's not my fault. I didn't want people to treat me like a princess."

"I guess I understand that. May I be excused, Your Majesty?" Merida nodded, shaking her head when Heather left.

Merida then realised that she was all alone, until someone approached her.

* * *

Elsa was walking through the Great Hall and called Hans. He was talking to Merida and another Slytherin girl. Hans approached her and engaged the conversation.

"Scaring your own Slytherins into leaving are you?" asked Elsa, obviously joking. Hans chuckled in response.

"Me? No, no, just getting to know them. Could you blame me for wanting to be a prefect next year?" Hans raised his hands up defensively.

Elsa smiled. She and her three closest friends were in different houses, and all wanted to become prefects together. There was one thing they all shared in common already. They were captains of each Quidditch team.

"So are you training for Quidditch? Any new members?" asked Hans.

"No new people yet. We still have a few months before the first match. It's my team against yours first, isn't it?" asked Elsa.

"Yes, may the best team win." They nodded and Elsa left to the Slytherin table.

She sat where Hans sat, in front of Merida after her friend left. Merida was slightly surprised of this. The platinum haired girl wasn't even part of Slytherin. Merida wondered if princesses were exceptions with rule breaking.

"Aren't Ravenclaws supposed to sit at Ravenclaw table?" asked Merida.

"It really doesn't matter. I just came to ask you how it feels being a princess. What is your opinion?" Merida was thinking. Did she enjoy being a princess? Why did Elsa ask all of a sudden?

"You know what? It doesn't matter. Do you have any siblings but?" asked Elsa.

"No. Though I wish I did. It'll probably avert my mother's attention so she can take care of them. That way I can have less responsibilities and expectations," explained Merida.

"Oh believe me, Merida. Taking care of younger siblings can make things much tougher." Merida never really thought about taking care of her own siblings if she had any.

"Is that so? You're talking about Anna, right?" Elsa did not answer. Merida noticed how Elsa slowly tensed her gloved hands before she hid them under the table. The way she looked down and the way she realised how personal it became.

"Forget about what I said. How was your first few lessons at Hogwarts?"

The conversation drove to another direction, but Merida wouldn't forget what Elsa said. Merida spoke about Herbology, how Professor Moonhaven was very casual and easy-going. Moonhaven didn't seem like the type to give out detentions.

Charms for Merida was fun. The Head of Gryffindor, Professor North, was their teacher. He gave a speech about the beauty of magic, how it opened many doors in reality. His speech was in a very jolly tone where he was able to captivate the entire class. Merida sat next to Heather and a Gryffindor, because she couldn't stand some of the Slytherins. The boy next to her remained quiet throughout the entire time, but Merida made the effort to communicate with him. Next to the boy were the twins from Gryffindor, obviously pranksters, because they had to go to detention for messing around in Professor Black's class.

"Hans spoke to you about the decline of students, didn't he?" Merida nodded in reply.

"Even though he's right, there's always the same amount of students entering Hogwarts." Elsa explained further.

Merida's goal was reinforced at that moment. The path she chose in the future from now on would do whatever it took to keep her in Hogwarts.


	6. Study Team

The bell rang for the commencement of the fifth period. Jack eventually found Hiccup during lunch, and they stuck together since they both had History of Magic. The classroom was located on the same floor as the Charms classroom. Therefore, reaching the History of Magic classroom followed the same method as before.

Jack and Hiccup made it to the Grand Staircase. It was a giant room, which had an endless ceiling. The Grand Staircase connected all floors together, with constantly moving stairs that shifted at convenient times for students.

The class began and this time the tables were in singles. Jack was adjacent to Hiccup and behind him were the Berk students.

"You had no idea what I had to go through," moaned Tuffnut. He and Ruffnut had spent lunch with Professor Black, and Dagur had joined them too. Dagur was sent to do a different job while the twins scrubbed the filthy cauldrons.

"Look at my hands! Reminds me of that time Tuffnut ate a strange fruit and had weird things growing around his skin." Ruffnut bared her palms and they were slightly red with strange wrinkles…

"That strange berry… was your best friend. You deserved to experience the pain of losing a loved one. Oh, Macey! I still think about you," argued Tuffnut. His eyes began turning glossy after mentioning Macey.

"Who's Macey?" asked Jack, looking at Hiccup for the answer.

"I don't think that's really important," answered Hiccup, avoiding the embarrassing answer.

The professor entered the room and began the class immediately. She had short black hair with a green and yellow streak on her fringe. She had pale skin and was considerably short. She was the Head of Ravenclaw, Professor Toothiana. According to what Fishlegs said during lunch, that was her only name. Professor Toothiana was a no brainer for Jack. Any of the professors with the name containing the word 'Tooth' would already reveal the allusion to the Tooth Fairy.

The professor introduced herself and demonstrated her ability to summon hummingbirds. She then answered questions on what they're expected to do and what they'll learn in this subject.

"Okay, class. Your first topic is the Great Dragon War that occurred during Century T—around the years T00 to T29 to be accurate." Toothiana rambled on and the class couldn't keep up with her speed.

Jack slowly gave up on note taking. He saw that the people like Astrid and Snotlout weren't even trying. Snotlout was too busy fantasising about himself with Toothiana while Astrid was carelessly flicking through the textbook, trying to find something interesting.

Jack looked at Hiccup and he was still trying to write. "Must be trying his best, huh?" thought Jack. He then saw that Hiccup was left-handed.

* * *

Merida copied the notes from the chalkboard. Rapunzel was sitting next to her, while Heather sat on the desk next to Merida with another Ravenclaw, one she met during lunch. Anna was in front of them with Fishlegs.

The Transfiguration classroom was the largest room Merida had been in yet. The light shined through the windows, which were significantly high up to the ceilings. There were several cages where Merida was sure they were for animals.

Their professor was her Head of House, Professor Bunnymund. Bunnymund had tanned skin and spoke with an Australian accent. He had a tattoo on his forehead, which represented some kind of floral symbol. When Merida's mother was here in Hogwarts, Transfiguration was her favourite subject. Bunnymund was Elinor's teacher too. Some of the professors here did not age, and the mortals still had an extremely long lifespan compared to Muggles. Bunnymund had greyish blue hair and some white tips, which weren't the signs of old age because he still appeared younger than Merida's mother.

According to Merida's mother, Professor Bunnymund was an Animagus, meaning he could transform into a nonhuman creature. Bunnymund's Animagus was a Pooka, or to what most people would describe, a giant hare. The rules of becoming an Animagus were strict. It was law that any unidentified Animagus' would be punished, so registering their Animagus to the Ministry was required. Without this rule, crime rate would increase.

Professor Bunnymund wrote the alphabet on the board, with symbols below them. He explained to the class that they would be using these symbols in the future, so memorising them was essential.

The professor got the second chalkboard and wrote a symbol on the board, large enough for everyone to see. He was beginning to test people and used magic to reveal the correct answer. Professor Bunnymund then gave the students easier ways to memorise the symbols.

Merida wasn't finding Transfiguration interesting. Her favourite so far was Charms with Professor North. He made class feel lively and wonderful as if there were many possibilities with magic.

The Gryffindor who had sat next to her in Charms before was one of the students founded by Professor North. She had wondered how he felt joining a community where it was already dying. She also figured he was going to be the first to board the Hogwarts Express soon, a one-way trip back to wherever he came from.

* * *

Classes ended for the day and Hiccup spent time at the Great Hall studying. He worked with the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs this time. They compared their notes and filled in the gaps. Professor Toothiana might have been dedicated to teaching, but her talking was too quick to comprehend.

"So Century T was basically the years when people captured dragons for war?" asked Kristoff.

"Not exactly, Century T was the period from the years T00 to T99. The Great Dragon War is the event we're researching, which occurred _during_ Century T," corrected Hiccup. Some of them were confused with his choice of vocabulary. "The wizarding world contract the first two digits into letters, so 20 is a T. So T00 is the year 2000, and T99 is 2099. It's currently X93, and Year X was close to X00, hence its name."

"Yeahandthatgreatlyreducedthepopulationofdragonsincenturyt—eventhentheywereneverseenbymuggles," confirmed MacGuffin.

"Say that again… and slower this time, please," said Kristoff. If they had to rank the person that could speak the fastest, it might as well have been Lucas MacGuffin, not Professor Toothiana.

"Year T reduced the population of dragons… and were never seen by Muggles even then…" said MacGuffin, in a forced tone to not go too slow or too fast. Still, his dialect wasn't helping.

"But your people, Hiccup, still train dragons?" Hiccup nodded.

The two houses finished studying about the Great Dragon War. They then began talking about the professors they've encountered so far. The Gryffindors informed the Hufflepuffs about Professor Black.

"Seriously, do not get on his nerves or he'll use you as a test subject for his potions, probably," warned Tuffnut.

"Does anyone know what the Headmaster is like? Thank goodness we miss out on Astronomy until like… November," said Quinn, one of the Gryffindors. Quinn was a girl who lived in Scotland, but far away from all the wilderness that contained monsters.

"Saw him on the Daily Prophet once—he was bald—that's all I could pick up from him," admitted MacGuffin. They understood him this time.

* * *

Jack sat on Gryffindor table and noticed that most of the Gryffindors were gone. He saw Lily, grabbing some food from the table and leaving the Great Hall again, probably to the dungeons.

The only few people sitting on the table with him were Christopher and William.

"You know, Jack. You're allowed to sit on any table if you wish," said a professor who was behind Jack. It was Professor North and it was also their first time talking face to face after joining Hogwarts.

"I am?" asked Jack.

"Of course. The rules have changed and we've come to realise that it's better to make friends not from the same house too."

Jack got up and walked to Hufflepuff table. He then saw Ravenclaws at Slytherin table and most of his Gryffindors at Hufflepuff table.

The Hufflepuffs saw Jack and welcomed him. Jack sat in front of Hiccup.

"Kristoff, I don't suppose you've met Jack before?" asked Hiccup.

The two became acquainted and began exchanging information about their personal backgrounds.

"You came from America? And agreed to come to this school not knowing if magic really existed?" asked Kristoff.

"Yeah. Professor North came to my house one day and told me that I was a wizard or something like that. I never saw real magic until using Floo powder," explained Jack.

Jack felt that telling people that he was a Muggle-born early would've been better. He didn't know when that thought occurred to him. It was probably when he sat next to a Slytherin during Charms—more like she decided to sit next to him. He had a short conversation with her about where he was from, and she seemed genuinely interested. But Jack didn't tell her that he was a Muggle-born yet.

"And your parents? They were fine with it?"

"Surprisingly yes. They were supportive about it while I was the one second-guessing an old man's claims about the wizarding world," said Jack.

"Sorry to drag the conversation backwards. But I'd like to know what Herbology is like before we do it tomorrow," said Astrid.

"Well Astrid. Herbology is in the greenhouses, as many of you know. The professor is Moonhaven and she isn't a bad teacher—as long as you listen," answered Hiccup.

* * *

"Honestly, Heather, I'm bored," complained Merida while she was resting her head on the table.

"I'd agree with you if it weren't for your curly hair. Seriously, I could get lost in it for days just staring at it," said Heather.

"So here's my idea: We go to make friends. We split up if possible to make the process a wee bit quicker."

Heather got up and waited for Merida. They looked around until they saw familiar faces. The only ones were at Hufflepuff table.

The first person that looked at them was the boy Merida sat next to in Charms. She waved at him as she approached.

"Hello? We sat next to each other during Charms and I was wondering if it's okay for us to study with you." Merida did her best to control her breathing. She either did something beneficial or something completely awkward. The boy's friends were there too, watching her; it was probably her fiery red hair that caught their attention first.

"Um, okay. Sure! The name is Jack by the way," said the boy. He had also remembered that Merida had a Scottish accent when she spoke to him during class.

"Merida Dunbroch," replied Merida. "This is my friend Heather…" Merida turned to her friend, letting her finish.

"Heather Leifsson."

"You're the Princess of Dunbroch, aren't you?" A scrawny Hufflepuff stood up. Merida didn't recognise him. She only knew that he was the boy named Hiccup; everybody laughed at that name when he was called during the Sorting ceremony.

"I'm Hiccup Haddock. My dad is the Chief of Berk. Apparently he's friends with your parents," said Hiccup.

"You're son of Stoick the Vast? I thought his son was more… older," said Merida.

"Yeah, my dad probably lies about me to make himself feel better." Hiccup was laughing weakly.

"No. It's not like that—I didn't mean to say that way!"

"It's okay, Merida. Really, I'm okay with that," said Hiccup.

Hiccup introduced Merida and Heather to the Gryffindors. Already, Snotlout was treating Heather like how he treated Astrid.

"You're from Berk? I don't know how to tell you guys this but my island's overrun by the Outcast Tribe."

* * *

Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Heather agreed to leave Hufflepuff table after the amount of people overflowing. They searched for Fishlegs before heading to Gobber's hut, located at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Gobber's hut was the place Gobber stayed at during his time at Hogwarts. Beside the hut was a large stable where the dragons from Berk were kept.

"Does anybody know where Fishlegs could be?" asked Astrid.

"Library, definitely the library," answered Hiccup.

After the twins searched for Fishlegs at the expansive library, the students made it to Gobber's hut.

"Whose idea is it to be visiting at dusk?" asked Gobber, holding the door open and seeing the group of students. His prosthetic hand normally attached to his left arm wasn't with him this time.

"Just here to see the dragons. If that's fine with you?" said Astrid.

"Aye, go ahead. But don't and I repeat, _don't_ go into the Dark Forest," ordered Gobber.

Astrid went first towards the stable. Everybody felt spooked seeing the Forbidden Forest at nighttime. The branches and the hooting of the owls recreated the scene of a horror story.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think we shouldn't be here," said Fishlegs.

"Shut it, Guppylegs! The crew is not impressed with your cowardness," snapped Tuffnut.

"I think you mean cowardice," said Fishlegs, correcting Tuffnut's sentence.

"Silence! Guppylegs has no right to speak. Gee, Fartlout has been pretty quiet don't you think?"

"Quiet!" shouted Astrid. They huddled closer and heard the door of the stable creak open.

Footsteps gradually came close to them and they saw a shadow rushing into the Forbidden Forest. The only light was from the torch hanging on the walls from inside the stable.

Astrid ran first to the edge of the forest and saw no chance in tracking the mysterious figure. They all went inside the stable and saw that the dragons were awake. Astrid approached the Deadly Nadder, a species of dragon that stood on their two legs with spikes coming from their tail and head.

Astrid observed the ground and saw damp footprints still marked on the floor.

"Somebody was in here, doing something to the dragons," said Astrid.

"Astrid! Look at this!" yelled Heather.

The students left the stable and saw Heather, staring into the forest.

They saw a blue light, floating around like it was luring them in. The cause of the light was a small ball of fire, but none of them knew the intentions of that creature.

"Should we go follow it?" suggested Heather.

"I don't think that's a good idea. It might be trying to lure us to potential death," said Fishlegs.

"I agree with Fishlegs for once," said Snotlout. Him and the twins ran first, causing the girls and Fishlegs to follow.

The blue light continued to float in the Forbidden Forest, creating ominous sounds of a young child. It vanished into thin air after the students left.

* * *

Hiccup saw MacGuffin and Kristoff leaving the table. He went to them and asked them where they were going.

"Going to introduce Kristoff to my friends from Dingwall and Macintosh who are at Ravenclaw table," answered MacGuffin.

"But aren't you going to say hello to Merida? You know the Princess of Dunbroch, right?" MacGuffin shook his head.

"My first time meeting her," said MacGuffin.

When Hiccup understood, he let them leave to see the other Hufflepuffs. Hiccup turned back to Hufflepuff table and it was just Jack and Merida left.

Rapunzel came to them, apparently she knew Merida too.

"Jack, this is Rapunzel," said Merida.

Jack and Rapunzel became acquainted and now they were talking about what North told Jack.

"So he said something about legends and fables. Do you still believe in them?" asked Jack.

"Well, now that you mention it. I think you're right. Professor North does resemble Father Christmas," said Hiccup.

"I just had Transfiguration with Rapunzel, and if what you say is true, Jack, then Professor Bunnymund is the Easter Bunny. I mean, it isn't a coincidence that he has the last name 'Bunnymund' and his Animagus is a giant bunny," said Merida.

"Animagus?" asked Jack and Rapunzel.

"An Animagus is a person who has the ability to transform into another animal. If you're continuing Transfiguration as your studies, then you may be able to become an Animagus," answered Merida.

"Jack, I know of this legend from Germany. I read about it when I was little and first heard of him when Mother told me to sleep early or else he'd punish me." Rapunzel took a deep breath before continuing. "He's called the Sandman. And he spreads Dreamsand to people to give them good dreams. But if he catches you awake then he'd scratch your eyes out." Rapunzel felt like she was telling them a ghost story.

"So my Head of House is the Sandman? Makes sense. His name is Sanderson Mansnoozie and he can conjure 'Dreamsand'. I can also say that my sleep last night was pleasant," said Hiccup.

"I've never heard of that myth. I guess it's popular in Europe."

"Professor Toothiana being the Tooth Fairy is self explanatory," said Rapunzel, and everyone nodded in reply.

"But the big question is… How are these legends carrying out their roles and teaching us at the same time?" asked Merida.

"Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny complete their jobs once a year. I just can't answer the same for the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy, having jobs every night around the world," answered Rapunzel.

"Merida?" asked Jack.

"Yes?"

"Who's that Slytherin who did nothing during Charms?" Merida turned her head slightly and saw the Slytherin, talking to a few people.

"I think his name was Xander… I'm not sure. He only writes notes. I saw it too. He didn't attempt to cast any magic during Charms," said Merida.

"I thought he was a Squib, having no magic whatsoever. But that's wrong isn't it? Otherwise the Sorting Wand wouldn't have casted his Core Magic." Merida added. She remembered that Xander Yates was the last one sorted. In her opinion, she thought that his Core Magic was more vibrant and stronger compared to the other Slytherins that were sorted, including her own.

"Speaking of sorting, I've only told Jack and Rapunzel about this. I really wanted to be in Gryffindor because my mum was in it," said Hiccup.

"Oh that's no reason to be feeling down, Hiccup. I was expecting Gryffindor too like my mother and father. It's worse knowing that they hated the Slytherins most," said Merida.

Merida continued. "Just remember this, Hiccup. Your house does not define who you are, your choices do." Jack and Rapunzel were nodding in agreement.

"Hiccup? I think she's right. In my house, there's this boy who came from China. He's actually struggling with class already, and he's in Ravenclaw," said Rapunzel.

"You're talking about John Wan, right? He's smart with technology. He knew a lot about mobile phones not working at Hogwarts," said Jack.

"Makes sense doesn't it, Hiccup. John Wan isn't smart with the wizarding world, but in the Muggle world, he's knowledgeable. If you figure out your strength, then you'll find out why you were chosen in Hufflepuff," said Merida.

"How are you so—"

"My driver has a lot of wisdom to spare for me. Usually when he knows that I'm upset, he'll try to cheer me up." Merida sighed and remembered that she missed them all, her mother, her father, and the people back at the mansion. She wondered what they were doing now that she wasn't there.

"You guys know Lily Sirène? She's very timid for a Gryffindor, never spending time with us during the breaks. She heads to the dungeons and creates potions for no reason," said Jack. Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel were leaning in closer, obviously wanting to hear more about Lily.

"She's not hard to miss. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is very short," said Jack.

"In my house, there's this girl who isn't kind like the typical Hufflepuff—"

"Yang Xavier," said Merida abruptly. Hiccup didn't need to tell them her name. Merida saw Yang when she was sorted too. She was the second last. Was it a coincidence how John, Xander, and Yang were the last three?

Jack looked around for Yang and John. There was no sign of them. He assumed John was at the library but he wasn't so sure of the whereabouts of Yang. Were there better things to do during dinner other than staying at the Great Hall, or staying in the library, or seeing dragons at Gobber's hut?

"Rapunzel, Merida, don't look now but Xander is watching us," whispered Jack.

Merida and Rapunzel slightly moved their eyes to see, but no luck.

"Is he still looking?" Hiccup was nodding. The boys could see the silver eyes shining in the light, almost as if he knew that they were talking about him. Impossible.


	7. Core Magic

It was Wednesday afternoon and Jack and Merida had finished their classes. Jack had a taste of all the subjects on his timetable except for Astronomy and Flying.

Flying was only for first years, developing the skills to be able to fly on a broomstick. Older students owned their own broomsticks, but the first years couldn't because the acceptance letters specifically stated that they were not permitted to. Despite that rule, Merida owned her own, but didn't bring it with her to Hogwarts.

"The will-o'-the-wisp is known to guide people to their fate. Little is known about their origins except that they were the souls of the deceased. It perfectly describes Astrid and Heather's situation on Monday," said Merida.

Everyone had heard about the blue light appearing that Monday night, some believed, some did not.

"I'm pretty sure luring children into the Forbidden Forest doesn't lead them to their fate," said Jack.

"Maybe it would, we'll never know for sure."

Merida and Jack stopped talking and rested for a few minutes. The calm breeze in the courtyard was the only factor that kept the students calm. Unless a spark of destruction began in the courtyard, everyone had set their differences aside peacefully.

"I think I'm gonna go to the library to study. You gonna be fine on your own? Or are you thinking of coming?" asked Merida.

"I think resting here will be fine," said Jack, still closing his eyes underneath the tree at the courtyard.

Merida made her way inside and Jack surveyed his surroundings. The courtyard was quiet with many students of different ages and houses studying; it was like an outdoor library. The Middle Courtyard had vibrant grass, spreading all over the ground. There was a large tree, which Jack was under. And another notable structure was a large iron Armillary Sphere at the centre.

Jack thought about the friends he's made so far, especially Hiccup, Fishlegs, Rapunzel, Merida, and Astrid. Even though he tried to be open about his blood status, he couldn't help but think that they secretly despised him. He learnt that Slytherins were portrayed badly and that they'd do anything for their own selfish desires. What if Merida only acted nice to Jack because she didn't want to look bad in front of other people?

* * *

Snotlout was in the library with a Slytherin named Flynn Rider. Flynn came from Corona, the same place Rapunzel was from. He had a reputation of stealing from the markets, pickpocketing and doing scams were one of the few schemes he'd pull. He didn't have parents, so many would think that he'd enjoy watching the world of politics crumble.

"Okay, so first thing's first, _you_ steal a book and pretend that you forgot to borrow it," said Flynn, hiding with Snotlout behind a shelf of books.

"What are _you_ going to do then?" asked Snotlout.

"Simple, I go to the Restricted Section and steal a book that contains illegal spells," explained Flynn.

Mr Qwerty, the school's librarian sensed something wrong—more like his caterpillar senses were alerting him that something was off. Mr Qwerty was an Animagus, a caterpillar who loved the knowledge contained within his collection of books. He saw Snotlout attempt to leave the library without borrowing it.

It was Flynn's chance. He ran to the gates that secured the only way into the Restricted Section. The Restricted Section was off limits to all students unless they had permission from their professors. The forbidden room of books contained content that were either explicit or too valuable for students to freely borrow.

A padlock was obstructing the handle. Flynn then prepared his wand so he could use the charm he learnt on Monday in Professor North's class.

"Alohomora," chanted Flynn. There was no effect so Flynn gave it a few more tries.

"Now, now, let's not get all confident about entering the Restricted Section." Flynn turned and saw Mr Qwerty standing with Snotlout's 'stolen' book.

"Did you really think we were that ignorant to teach students the Unlocking Charm? We casted a more complicated spell to stop students breaking in eons ago."

The two boys were kicked out of the Library for today. They were lucky to have been given a warning or else they would've faced detention or worse, expulsion.

"It was worth a try. Maybe we'll try again," suggested Flynn.

"No way am I doing all that again," said Snotlout.

The two were about to head to the Great Hall until they heard the shouting of the Thorston Twins.

"Snotlout! Snotlout!" The two turned and the twins were both laughing and catching their breath.

"What's the matter? Running away from professors after pulling another prank?" asked Flynn.

"Nothing like that, whoever you are. There's a fight at the courtyard with Hiccup. It's gonna be awesome!" shouted Ruffnut.

"Which courtyard?" asked Snotlout.

"How should we know? Follow us instead," said Tuffnut. The four made their way to the Middle Courtyard.

* * *

"So this chameleon has been living in your hair all this time?" asked Hiccup. The chameleon stared at Hiccup from Rapunzel's shoulder. Hiccup noticed the chameleon's tail when they were at the library studying for Charms. They decided that it would be best to practice the spells outdoors, and to provide better environment for Rapunzel's pet to breathe.

"His name's Pascal," said Rapunzel.

The two were headed down the stairs and saw Merida on their way.

"Where are you going, Merida?" asked Rapunzel.

"I was looking for you, figured you and Hiccup would be in the library."

"Merida, have you met Pascal?" asked Hiccup.

"Who?" Merida looked around as if she was expecting someone to show up.

Rapunzel grabbed Pascal from her hair and he reverted back to his original colours.

"That's a chameleon," said Merida, slowly processing the information. "Why do you have a chameleon in your hair?!"

"Pascal has been by my side since I was little. I'm hoping to explain everything when we get to the Middle Courtyard, where I can also introduce Pascal to Jack," said Rapunzel.

The chameleon jumped from Rapunzel's hands and into Merida's curly red hair. Merida laughed and tried to find the camouflaging reptile.

"What's Jack doing on his own anyway?" asked Hiccup.

"Resting. I wanted to study so that's why I left him."

"You could've studied at the courtyard with him, you know," said Hiccup.

"I know. But like I said before, I was looking for Rapunzel to study History of Magic."

"I get it, Merida. But sometimes I think Jack might be feeling excluded."

"You really think that?" asked Merida, slowing her pace as if she felt guilty about it.

"I'm just saying. Jack needs to believe that we have his back, he'd do the same for us."

Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel were now walking in the cloisters that surrounded the Middle Courtyard. There were too many students to easily spot Jack.

"What's that?" asked Rapunzel. She was pointing at the Armillary Sphere: made up of many rings and hoops like a globe.

"I'm not really sure. I think it's something related to Astronomy. See? The sphere represents earth," answered Merida. Rapunzel took a few steps forward until the only thing that stopped her were the cloisters. She could now see it clearer through the window.

"Interested, are you?" asked Merida.

"I've always been fascinated with the tools people use to track the skies. At home, I'm always able to see the castle in Corona. But on a specific day every year, floating lights decorate the sky. You should see them one day."

"You've never been to the kingdom you live near?" asked Hiccup.

"No. Mother always told me to stay inside because the world is dangerous, especially at the kingdom."

The three finally made it through to the large opening to the courtyard. Merida had told them that Jack was under the tree.

"Well look who we have here." The three turned and saw Dagur approaching. Rapunzel saw Pascal slowly fade into the grass and she also caught the sound of Hiccup cursing.

"What's a scared little Hufflepuff doing here in my courtyard?" It was obviously not Dagur's. Hiccup also assumed that Dagur had just arrived, otherwise he would've hated seeing a Muggle-born named Jack in 'his' courtyard.

There were two more students standing with Dagur. The twins. Not the Thorston Twins from Gryffindor, but the Stabbington Brothers. There was Bryan Stabbington from Slytherin and Bryce Stabbington of Ravenclaw. Rapunzel knew that Bryce barely spoke.

 _It's better to avoid him to not let what happened just now happen again._

Rapunzel told Hiccup and Merida to back away. Only Merida listened to Rapunzel and moved back. Hiccup stood his ground. They weren't sure if Hiccup was going to do something heroic or that he didn't move because he was petrified.

"Not backing off? That's fine. Tell me, Hiccup… ever heard of déjà vu?" Dagur slowly approached Hiccup.

"I might have—" Dagur knocked Hiccup's books to the ground before he finished. Merida and Rapunzel backed away further. A number of students were watching the commotion.

Dagur was now circling Hiccup, waiting for Hiccup to break.

"I'm gonna give you five seconds to leave my courtyard before the Chief of Berk has no son."

Hiccup didn't think about leaving. The adrenaline was surging through his veins. Hiccup knew that leaving would encourage Dagur, encouraging him to continue provoking him and his friends until their time at Hogwarts ended. But what would standing up for himself accomplish? It then clicked in for Hiccup.

 _Your house does not define who you are, your choices do._

Hiccup didn't want people to think of him as the weak Hufflepuff. He wanted to prove the Sorting Wand wrong, his Core Magic wrong.

Hiccup didn't notice the wand already in his hand. He quickly pointed it at Dagur and spoke the first spell that came into his head.

"Flipendo!" Hiccup yelled. The blue spell shot from Hiccup's wand and landed on Dagur, sending him back a few metres to the ground in front of the Stabbington Brothers, who were laughing at him.

A crowd gathered around the two and a Ravenclaw ran in to stop the fight. Dagur's face was filled with a baleful stare. He fired the same spell at Hiccup and it almost landed on the Ravenclaw before he ducked. The friends of the Ravenclaw boy held him back, not allowing him to get hurt.

The spell barely hit Hiccup, but the second and third spell from the Stabbington Brothers landed simultaneously on him.

* * *

The crowd dilated, continuously piquing Jack's attention. When Jack got through to the crowd, he saw Dagur on the ground and Hiccup pointing the wand at Dagur's direction. Then a barrage of Knockback Jinxes scared a few students away as well as hitting Hiccup.

"Hey!" Jack ran in between the bullies and Hiccup, who was still on the ground recovering from the fall.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here: A Mudblood helping a half-blood. Are you really _that_ desperate that you think helping him will purify your blood?"

"Stay away from him or else."

Hiccup stood up and backed away, realising the mistakes of his choice. Trying to be like a Gryffindor only helped Hiccup for a few seconds, but the outcome led to the endangerment of his friend.

Jack imagined the kinds of spells he'd be up against. So far, the only spells taught to them in Defence Against the Dark Arts was the Knockback Jinx. Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught by Professor Mansnoozie, Head of Hufflepuff. He had warped sand around him to communicate to the students instead of talking. Their curriculum was about dealing with enemies that used dark magic.

Jack just hoped that Dagur didn't practice anything foreign. Then everything will turn out fine. Dagur stepped back and allowed the Stabbington Brothers to do the dirty work for him.

Bryan Stabbington created the Knockback Jinx again, but Jack anticipated it. Jack ducked and saw the people behind him moving away from the spell.

Jack felt like he had the upper hand. He pointed the wand at Bryan and fired the Freezing Spell, surprising everyone, including Hiccup. The icy blue magic headed towards the direction of Bryan. Before it could cause damage, Bryce fired another spell and fire shielded them from Jack's ice spell. The crowd began moving away, making the circle around Jack larger.

Jack wasn't expecting a counter and realised that the Fire-Making Charm was also taught at Hogwarts. Jack got hit by Dagur's Knockback Jinx and fell to where Hiccup was. The impact made Jack dizzy for a few seconds that he saw four Stabbington Brothers charging their Fire-Making Charms.

"Incendio!" Jack heard the two yell simultaneously.

Jack blocked his eyes as he heard the screams of Merida and Rapunzel, calling for him. The two streams of fire intertwined before engulfing Jack, causing the crowd to shield their eyes from the blinding light.

* * *

"Hiccup! What's happening?" Fishlegs joined Hiccup and saw the commotion. Hiccup did not answer him, while Rapunzel and Merida screamed for Jack.

Hiccup moved to help Jack but Fishlegs grabbed him back as the flames exploded, creating a bright light.

When Hiccup opened his eyes, people were trying to see through the smoke. They could all make out the shape of Jack as he was still lying down. When the smoke faded, they saw that the smoke was separated from Jack by a consistent radius of air. It was like a force field was created.

Jack uncovered his face and saw a black cloak towering over him. The figure was pointing his wand towards Dagur's direction and lowered it, causing a slight change of light around them to flicker too fast for a person to notice.

Hiccup saw the figure in the Slytherin cloak. The cloak appeared too big for the boy to wear. Perhaps it was a hand-me-down. He had black hair but his face was not visible for Hiccup and his friends at this angle. Dagur did not feel threatened by his new opponent. Instead, Dagur began mocking him and laughed like a maniac.

"This just keeps gets interesting doesn't it? Xander Yates, the hopeless Slytherin who doesn't have the ability to cast the most simple spells in class. What should we call you? The Harmless Slytherin? You are a disgrace for helping a Mudblood!"

"This fight is over," said Xander. His face was serious and it didn't show any signs of hesitation.

Dagur wasn't going to leave without a fight with the traitor of Slytherin. He pointed his wand and yelled the incantation for the Knockback Jinx.

Xander didn't flinch and raised his wand in a fluid motion. The blue spell shattered and the same flicker of light appeared. Many students could make it out better. It was another shield that blocked Dagur's spell easily. That shield gave Fishlegs a thought and he remembered what it was.

"The Shield Charm. He used the Shield Charm to block the Fire-Making Charm from hitting Jack. But that's not right… The Shield Charm is a difficult spell that even some adults can't perfect," said Fishlegs.

Xander held his wand firmly and a green spell emerged from the wand. He waved it slowly as the green fire slowly built up. Dagur was speechless as he saw the eyes of Xander. They were merciless grey eyes, slowly turning into green ones.

Hiccup and Merida ran to Jack and pulled him back into the crowd. This fight was not about them anymore. When the green spell was expanding, Rapunzel recognised the glow.

"No," whispered Rapunzel. She knew that this wasn't an ordinary spell, but a curse. She blocked her ears and covered her eyes. She did not want to witness it again. It was something she wouldn't share with her friends, unless she trusted them that much.

When Jack was safe, Merida saw the green spell. At first, it made her think it was the Killing Curse, but it wasn't. The whistling noise sounded familiar too.

"Core Magic," said Merida.

Xander unleashed the spell on Dagur, and a small bolt of green fire collided with Dagur's dominant hand. The wand fell out of Dagur's hand and remnants of the spell scattered across the ground, marking green spots all over.

Dagur tried to pick up his wand, but found that the spell disabled any movement in his right hand. He picked it up with his left hand instead.

"Wh—what did you do to me?!" cried Dagur.

Xander did not answer and left the scene. The crowd already created a path for him out of fear.

Dagur was persistent. He signalled the Stabbington Brothers to help him while he created any random spell with his left hand. The spells from the twins were strong and structured, and the spells of Dagur were varied, but hindered with the use of his non-preferred hand. The only factor that helped Dagur was that the spells were fuelled out of pure rage.

These instances were possible for many young wizards who felt the emotion of being threatened. Their spells became powerful but with no control. It also didn't require the use of the incantation or a wand.

Xander turned and saw the spells coming his way. He didn't flinch or move away as expected. The spells landed on Xander's cloak and did nothing to him, as if his cloak was a sponge and absorbed the magic.

Xander waved his wand up and the flames emerged once again.

Hiccup and his friends could see it now. Xander's eyes were grey at start, but began glowing green, matching the flames. It was the same when they were sorted to their houses last week.

Dagur flinched as he expected the Core Magic to come from the wand. Dagur and the Stabbington Brothers looked down to the ground and saw where the Core Magic was scattered before. The marks began glowing and the whistling of the Core Magic made them block their ears. The ground exploded in a tall tower of green fire, brighter than the fire spell that nearly killed Jack.

The Core Magic seemed to have inflicted no damage to Dagur and the twins, but their bodies fell limp on the ground. Before, it only hit Dagur's hand, immobilising it. But the exposure of Core Magic on their bodies made it impossible to move any muscle.

"G—get… b—back here…" said Dagur in a struggling attempt to speak. None of them were dead and Xander was gone.

"Jack, let's go." Jack saw his friends waiting. There was also a girl whom he didn't recognise, maybe she was Rapunzel's friend since she was a Ravenclaw.

"Where?" asked Jack while holding onto both sides of his head. The impact still made Jack's head spin.

"The library," suggested Hiccup.

* * *

Flynn, Snotlout and the Thorston Twins made it to the cloisters, but the fight was already over. There were prefects blocking the way to the Middle Courtyard.

They saw MacGuffin and Kristoff, asking around for clues.

Flynn became friends with Kristoff during classes. They studied together with other Hufflepuffs since Flynn found it hard to be friends with the Slytherin males. He was closest to Bryan Stabbington, but Dagur had already developed a 'master-to-puppet' relationship with Bryan and his Ravenclaw twin, Bryce. Xander was nowhere to be found most of the time and Dagur was pretty self-explanatory. He also found the Slytherin females intimidating.

"Hey, Kristoff. Heard that there was a fight around here. Did you find anything?" asked Flynn.

"Not a lot, but apparently there was a fight between two Slytherins in our year. One was the crazy one you didn't want to affiliate yourself with. They were fighting about Mudbloods and Bryan and his brother were on Dagur's side. The three just lost by that other guy's spell and now they are ready for the hospital wing."

Flynn knew that there were only four first year Slytherin males including himself. If Bryan and Dagur were already mentioned, then the other was Xander.

"What spell did he use on them?" asked Snotlout.

"That's the problem. That guy didn't say any incantations when he battled Dagur," said Kristoff.

Flynn and his friends saw a crowd of people moving. There were professors also trying to keep the students away. Flynn ran through the crowd and saw Dagur and the twins being carried on a stretcher. Dagur was struggling to move as he wiggled his arms and legs.

"Looks like the spell wears off," said Professor Bunnymund.


	8. Xander's Triumph

"What on earth just happened?" asked Astrid. She was directing the question to Jack and Hiccup in particular.

"I'm trying to figure that out as much as you, Astrid," said Jack.

Merida and Rapunzel were studying History of Magic while listening to the conversation. Anna and Fishlegs were with the group as well. With the clock ticking, they were all becoming annoyed with all the unanswered questions.

"I know what I heard. It was Core Magic that Xander casted," said Merida.

"Anna, your family manufactures Dusk. What do you think is happening? Is there anything that supports Merida's claim?" asked Astrid.

"Well… it's true that Core Magic and Dusk are tied to each other. The properties of Dusk allow it to absorb and channel Core Magic. All wizards manipulate Core Magic with incantations and wand movements before it becomes a spell. So if that's all evidence then—"

"Theoretically we can all cast Core Magic like Xander." Fishlegs interrupted. "We just need to keep the Core Magic pure and unaltered. No wand movements and no incantations then."

"Right. Dusk Weapons use a wizard's Core Magic like ammo. For Muggles, they use artificial Core Magic as ammunition since they don't have any in them. But never in my life have I seen Core Magic being cast from a wand," said Anna.

"Can we also point out that Xander did not use an incantation for Core Magic. Even for known spells like the Shield Charm, he did not say the incantation." Fishlegs added.

"What's that supposed to suggest?" asked Jack.

"That a first year has not only invented a new spell, but also that he knows a skill of advanced spell casting. I'm sure many of you know what nonverbal spells are."

"I'm sorry but can someone explain more about Dusk Weapons?" asked Jack. The only encounter Jack had with Dusk Weaponry was at the shop with Hiccup in Diagon Alley. He could remember the blue weapon that resembled something like an axe.

Anna and Fishlegs spent the entire break explaining about Dusk to Jack and the others.

"Because it was used in the war a hundred years ago that almost destroyed magic, a lot of people frown upon the use of Dusk Weaponry. My family sometimes received a lot of hate for that."

"Dusk is the source of energy that comes in many forms. The two most popular are the crystal and powder forms."

"I have a collection of all the Dusk Crystals and Powders in my dorm. I've never used it since everybody hates Dusk unfortunately."

"When Dusk Weapons are used, a lot of particles of the Dusk scatter into the ground. But that's natural. It's like using a pickaxe and bits of the metal slowly chipping away."

"The Dusk that scatters in the earth grows over the course of a few years. After ten years, the remnants can even grow into a giant vein of Dusk Crystals. Arendelle Corp would find these clusters and safely extract them for sale. In the past, many other Dusk companies have tried to extract them and failed, always using a quicker yet unsafe method. Strangely all these failed companies belonged to Muggles, thinking they discovered something new."

The conversation eventually redirected back to Xander.

"I think Xander is still practicing his 'Core Magic spell'. Remember the Sorting Wand? Maybe that's what the spell is meant to look like at its full potential, showing the animal of his house." Fishlegs explained.

"Full potential or not, he was able to stop three people at once. At least we know that the spell was not lethal for now. It was like a spell that weakened enemies," said Hiccup.

"What do you think is going to happen?" asked Rapunzel. "There were a lot of people who saw so that's plenty of witnesses for them to know it was Xander."

"The professors can't punish him. He stood up against bullies and technically did not injure anyone," said Astrid.

* * *

Jack thought the same as well. He didn't want Xander to get punished. What if he got expelled? Dagur might get his revenge on Jack and Hiccup after that.

"I'm going to see Professor North. I'm not letting them punish him." Jack got up and was about to leave the library, but he saw Xander there as well. Xander was leaving the Restricted Section with a book in his hand. Jack followed him outside to the hallway and called out to him. Turning his head too many times, he looked back and forth to see the people he pushed aside to leave the library, causing a massive headache.

Xander turned around and saw Jack approaching to him.

"Hey. I don't know if you remember me, but you were the one who saved me from Dagur." Jack didn't know what he was saying. Of course Xander would remember Jack, unless he was entirely focussed on taking down Dagur.

Xander nodded to Jack. "You helped a Hufflepuff despite the odds. That is the reason I returned the favour. You may have heard this already, but I am going to tell you anyway. Stay away from Dagur so this incident will never happen again."

Xander's face changed from expressionless to concern. He squinted his eyes as he analysed Jack's neck.

"Are you okay?" asked Xander.

Jack felt the back of his head and saw the blood drying on his fingertips. It must have been caused by the impact when he was hit by the Knockback Jinx. But the blood didn't start going down Jack's head until he began running to Xander.

"You should get that checked out at the hospital wing. But that would go against my suggestion since Dagur is there." Xander took out his wand and waved it at Jack. He felt the wound repairing itself, but the dried blood was still there.

Xander bowed his head down and left Jack. Jack looked at the book that was borrowed from the Restricted Section. It had a symbol Jack recognised. It was the symbol of the letter Z from the transfiguration alphabet.

Jack continued his way to North's office after washing the dried blood off his head and fingers. Jack had no trouble finding it because the Gryffindor Head office was on the same floor as the library, next to the Serpentine Corridor.

The Serpentine Corridor was an area Jack had not been in yet. It was known that a classroom held studies of bizarre creatures that Jack thought never existed. These creatures included ghouls, ghosts, zombies, vampires, and werewolves. Jack wondered if they had a lust for killing or consuming humans like how they were represented.

The burning sun had reached the horizon, finding its resting place after a long journey. These days the temperature was beginning to cool down. Jack made it to North's office and knocked on the door. The door opened and North was already expecting Jack.

The office was small but the large window enhanced the mood. There was a large fireplace possibly used for Floo powder, and a desk North used, which was cluttered and disorganised.

"I'm expecting that you're here to ask about the Slytherin that helped you?" Jack walked slowly until he was in front of North's desk.

"Take a seat, Jack." North gestured his hands. Jack noticed the tattoos on North's arms. One said 'naughty' and the other said 'nice', creating another symbolism of Santa Claus.

"No thanks. I don't think I'll be here for a while," said Jack.

"We're all as confused as you, Jack. We didn't know that Xander was already skilled with that kind of magic."

"What kind of magic?"

"Here in the wizarding world, Dusk Weapons were seen as something like a taboo. It fires Core Magic and what Xander casted is quite similar, don't you think?"

"I know about that. I just don't see how people can hate both Dusk Weapons and Core Magic," said Jack.

"I know what you mean. I too find it rather odd that wizards dislike the magical essence that's within themselves."

"But not when it's altered to become charms or jinxes."

"Precisely. It's funny how people react differently to what something really is." North didn't know Jack learnt that much about magic already. Jack had his friends to thank.

"I just want you to tell me if Xander is going to get punished or not. He saved me and my friend's life."

"We are well aware of that too. Don't worry, Jack, we are not going to do anything until he actually proves as a threat to other students." Jack sighed in relief. "Well, Jack. How are you finding Hogwarts so far?"

Jack regretted his decision of standing. "It's fine… so far."

"Fine? Fine is good." North pushed a plate of cookies towards Jack. He really was going to stay in North's office for a while.

* * *

When Jack left to the opposite direction of Xander's, another voice stopped the Slytherin.

Xander turned and saw Yang Xavier leaning on the wall. She was smirking, the kind of smirk that meant she had something to use against them.

"I thought you said we were going to do this 'low key'. Isn't casting Core Magic going to blow your cover?" Yang approached him but he did not twitch.

"I know what I said. But if I did not do anything about it, then things could have been worse. I would rather have people more focussed on me than knowing Jackson's true potential." The two were now walking in the Entrance Hall. Everybody that saw him began whispering.

"So did you see me cast Core Magic yourself? Or were you watching it via the orb?"

"I heard about it first, then I used the orb. I followed Jack and his friends to the library and listened to what they knew. They've already figured out that it was Core Magic," answered Yang. "But I really don't get it. What's so special about Jack? Why do we have to keep him safe?"

"That is why I borrowed this book," said Xander, holding the book in front of her.

"Where'd you get this?"

"From the Restricted Section of course. While Mr Qwerty was busy, I unlocked the entrance and snuck in to find the book. It was not hard considering I was able to use a stronger spell to open the lock."

"Breaking rules already?" asked Yang.

"I thought we already broke the rules by entering Hogwarts."

* * *

It was now a few days after the incident with Dagur and Xander. People had been cautious around Xander, and Dagur had been submissive around Jack and Hiccup. Those two had nothing better that could repay what Xander did for them.

John Wan explored the castle but had no luck with finding a secret passage. The only place for him to do his secret activities was in the dungeons. Nobody liked the dungeons except for a few Slytherins and Hufflepuffs.

He had finished his last class for the day, Flying with Hufflepuff. He recently left the hospital wing after Hiccup injured himself by falling off the broomstick. John thought of other ways he would've minimised the damage, but there _was_ no other way besides doing nothing.

He found an empty Potions classroom and took all of his equipment inside. Working on his Dusk Weapon at the common room or in the Great Hall would draw too much attention. After what happened to Hiccup and Jack yesterday, he wasn't going to risk getting bullied for it.

The only person to know about his weapon was Anna, the Princess of Arendelle. She too suggested that he kept it hidden from people or else it would spark a debate.

The classroom was dusty in most areas, but he knew the room had been used because some areas were pristine. The first cabinet was locked, so he decided to store his resources in the one next to it, adding a lock so nobody could open it.

He placed his weapon on the bench. It was supposed to enable flight, like a broomstick. But so far it looked like a stick with the horizontal stabilizers of an airplane. Some would even mistaken it to be a regular blue battle-axe.

John might have been smart and intelligent at Muggle schools, but the difference with magic and science outweighed his performance these past few days. At his previous school, John was moved up many years that he was already in secondary school, where he studied about aircrafts and the physics required for the lift and drag of the plane. He looked back at the Dusk Weapon.

"You just had to think it was cool, didn't you?" John muttered to himself. This became a habit for him. He didn't care if it was in front of people too.

"Oh no, you went through all that effort to sneak the weapon from Mum and Dad that you didn't realise the entire wizarding world hated Dusk Weapons."

"Why am I even blaming myself? It was the school that didn't tell me that they didn't teach about Dusk Weapons. They could've just handed me a brochure about their subjects and everything would've been more convenient."

John wasn't feeling the motivation to work on his weapon anymore. He decided to leave before dinner started.

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You have only Charms with me tomorrow and that's it? Only one period of Charms?" asked Merida. She compared her timetable with Jack's and realised that tomorrow was going to be a huge break for him.

"Technically I also have Flying with your house on the seventh period."

"Well that doesn't count, Jack. What about you Rapunzel?"

"Transfiguration on period two."

"Hiccup?" Merida looked around for him.

"Hiccup's not here, Merida," said Rapunzel. Four hours ago, Hiccup and Rapunzel had Flying on period seven. Hiccup fell off his broomstick and luckily only received a sprained ankle. They had John to thank for that.

"Hiccup has Potions if I could recall," said Jack.

"And all of you have these subjects with my house?" asked Merida.

"Yes." The two said in unison. Merida laid her head back on the Slytherin table after sighing.

"How's Hiccup going to eat?"

"Maudie will get the food for him. Maybe he'll be able to walk tomorrow. Remember that is wasn't a serious injury," said Merida. Rapunzel then continued to eat.

"So I heard that the nurse, Maudie, came to Hogwarts with you, Merida."

"Aye, it's true, Jack. Maudie was the maid at my home. There was an opening at Hogwarts and Maudie fitted the requirements. She went to Hogwarts before my parents and completed her NEWTs in Herbology, Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration."

"NEWTs?" asked Jack.

"It's the course you complete during your final years of Hogwarts. Don't worry, they'll fill you in on the details in future years," reassured Merida.

Jack looked at the entrance of the Great Hall and once again saw Lily leaving.

"As usual, Lily is leaving the Great Hall." Merida and Rapunzel turned.

"Still haven't figured out what she's up to?" Jack shook his head. He thought they should investigate, but not as a group.

"Rapunzel, I think you should try figuring out what she's up to." Jack suggested.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because last time I went, I ran into Dagur, and whatever she does is complicated for me to understand."

"This is because I'm a Ravenclaw isn't it?"

"No, it's because me and Merida are going to see Hiccup. Besides, Lily might be frightened of me because I'm a male, and she might also be frightened of Merida because she's a Slytherin."

"I'm not _that_ bad!" hissed Merida.

* * *

Rapunzel was in the dungeons and realised how ridiculous this was, but she wanted answers as much as Jack and Merida. Prying into people's business was a huge invasion of privacy, something she was deeply against. If she could eliminate one thing in her life, it would be her mother constantly going through her belongings.

Rapunzel found the room Lily was in. She was brewing a potion like Jack said. Lily then opened a cabinet on the left, taking out a red book and a couple of vials and ingredients.

Rapunzel was going to do this differently. If she didn't want to spy on Lily, then all she had to do was ask.

"Excuse me," said Rapunzel.

The girl quickly stood up and the vials fell out of her hands. She turned to Rapunzel as if she was caught committing a crime.

Lily did not show any notice or attention to the broken glass around the floor. Her eyes were filled with fear and her body was slightly shaking.

"S—sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

Lily took deep breaths and then she saw the glass shards. She walked around it and opened a cupboard at the back of the room. Lily swept the floor and left the pile of glass as well as dust in the corner of the room. She almost forgot that Rapunzel was in her presence.

"I'm Lily." She was staring at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

"Rapunzel."

"You did this, yes?" Lily pointed at the cabinet next to the one she opened. "Is that cabinet yours?" She spoke in a French accent.

"This is the first time I've been in this room. I was just curious on what you were doing here all by yourself."

Lily didn't answer; she was too occupied with brewing the potion. She opened the red book and began writing in it.

Rapunzel could see some diagrams and pictures neatly annotated. Was Lily recording every kind of potion she could create?

"Don't you think people will be wondering where you are?"

"Not really." Jack was right. This girl was definitely shyer than Rapunzel even though she was from Gryffindor.

"Where are you from?" asked Rapunzel. It took a few seconds for Lily to answer.

"I'm from… Cotiêr, a town in France."

Keeping a conversation with Lily was difficult. It wasn't long before Rapunzel left. It wasn't like Lily was going to miss her. Rapunzel felt around her hair while she was walking through the hallways. He was not there.

* * *

"Hey Jack, look, Rapunzel left her books here." Merida turned one of the books around to see what it was about.

"What subject?" Moving closer to see better, Jack saw what was in the book. They were at the hospital wing with Hiccup and they took all their things including Rapunzel's belongings, fearing that people might've stolen the books if they had left them unattended.

"I don't think it's a textbook." She opened the book and they saw drawings of various subject matters. The artworks were done using coloured chalk or pastel.

"I didn't know Rapunzel was good with art," said Hiccup, leaning over Merida. She and Jack were sitting on the floor, leaning on Hiccup's temporary bed.

Merida got to a page and saw an artwork of a castle done in coloured pencils. There were lights floating in the dark sky too.

"Corona, the place Rapunzel's from. The Stabbington Brothers and Flynn Rider are also from Corona," said Merida.

"I've never met Flynn. And what are the lights in the sky?" asked Hiccup.

"Rapunzel said they were stars. But when I look at the drawing I remember now that they're actually lanterns. When the King and Queen of Corona had a baby, they celebrated with the kingdom by releasing many lanterns. Eventually the celebration ended, and a witch kidnapped the Princess. Nobody knows where the Princess is anymore. The King and Queen made it a tradition that every year on the birthday of the Lost Princess, they would release the lanterns in the night sky again, in hopes that the Princess finds her way home."

Jack and Hiccup listened intently, wondering how devious it was for someone to steal a child from a loving family.

"I wouldn't know what to do if I was the Lost Princess. If I didn't have a family, I don't think I'd function anymore." Jack admitted.

"Are you feeling a little bit homesick?" Jack looked at Merida and made a weak chuckle to hide the fact he was really missing them.

"If you are, then you should write a letter to your family. Tell them how you're doing, even though it's the first week," suggested Merida.

Jack nodded and Merida flicked the page until something slapped her wrist. She saw the chameleon and it was glaring at her, as if Pascal knew that they shouldn't be snooping around his owner's belongings.

Jack asked his friends if he could leave to his common room, preparing to write to his family. He took his things as well as Rapunzel's books and Pascal. It was just Merida and Hiccup in the hospital wing.

"Isn't Dagur here, Hiccup?" Merida asked.

"He left yesterday, didn't you recall seeing him during lunch and breakfast?"

"No. Anyway, what happened that made you fall anyway? Rapunzel said you were doing very well, and then all of a sudden you nearly hit the ground."

"John told me the same. I was planning to tell you guys when you're all here together. But long story short, I flew too high and nearly fell to my death. I only sprained my ankle because John rammed into me to break the fall. Either that, or he was trying to catch me."


	9. Flying Lessons

The damage was yet to be seen by Jack himself as he only saw the scrapes on his palms. Hiccup was also with Jack in the hospital wing, beginning to add pressure to his left foot as he walked. Hiccup stumbled a few times, which encouraged Jack to scare his friend, saying his foot could've broken off with a little pressure.

"Very funny, Jack. A foot doesn't just 'break off'," said Hiccup, grabbing on to the chair Jack sat on. He wasn't allowing his friends to help him. He wanted to show that he could do things independently.

He took a few more steps before letting go of the furniture surrounding him. It wasn't painful for Hiccup anymore. It now felt awkward after not walking for an entire day. When Jack and Merida had Flying last period, Hiccup was catching up with the Potions homework Merida sent to him earlier.

"Hiccup, you said you'd explain to us what _really_ happened in your flying lesson. Is now a good time while you walk?" asked Merida.

Hiccup slowly paced while talking about his Flying class. Jack and Merida were listening while Rapunzel did her homework for Transfiguration.

* * *

While the day was bright, and the sun was almost setting in a couple of hours, half of the first years had assembled on the Hogwarts grounds for their Flying class.

Hiccup stood with his house while the Ravenclaws also stood in a parallel line facing them. On the ground were broomsticks, one for each student. Their instructor was Mr Frondman, Nod's current guardian according to Jack. Ronin Frondman had short and almost greying hair. He was tall and had a wide jaw, as if he had swallowed a brick.

When Nod was young, his father had left for a mission while his mother was already out of the picture. After the mission, Ronin Frondman, Nod's father's friend, took care of Nod ever since. As Nod matured, he found out why Ronin never spoke about his father, accepting that his father died in the mission involving a breach of dark creatures.

When Mr Frondman taught the students how to summon the broomsticks to their grip, they were ready to fly.

"Okay class, you may ascend only a few feet above the ground," said Frondman as if this was the one-millionth time he repeated it throughout his years of teaching.

The sound of Frondman's whistle disrupted the serene whispers of the chilling wind. Hiccup levitated off the ground as he maintained perfect form. Rapunzel slowly got to him before flying above Hiccup to join with Anna, who obviously had practice.

Hiccup was motivated to challenge his limits. When Frondman told them they could go higher, Hiccup went for it. The soothing wind flowed past his hair, similar to when Merida rode her horse while practicing her archery skills. Hiccup looked to the ground and saw that he was considerably higher than most students, including Anna and Rapunzel. He scanned the skies and saw that John and Macintosh were competing to be higher than the rest. Hiccup should've been scared of the height, but for some reason he wasn't afraid anymore.

He was able to capture the view of the giant lake he crossed on his first day at Hogwarts. The Black Lake was large enough to fit all the buildings from Berk. From what he had overheard from other students in his house, there were colonies of merpeople, intelligent aquatic beings. There was also a giant squid dwelling in the depths. Though, he wasn't sure if that part of the rumour was true.

Fishlegs and another Ravenclaw were reaching Hiccup's altitude and Hiccup overheard them.

"It's similar to flying a dragon, right?"

"I don't know if I can agree with you yet. We don't ride dragons until we're fourteen-years-old," said Fishlegs. The other rider was Oliver, who apparently lived with dragons according to the conversation. The two went higher than Hiccup and he began feeling a shift between his courage of flight.

It became difficult to move as Hiccup tried to lower himself in case the danger escalated. It was already too late for Hiccup, as people had already noticed that he was having trouble in the air. The shouts of their voices echoed in the wind as he felt the atmosphere gradually dropping before him.

Hiccup tried his best to descend, but after many tries, the broomstick made a sharp dive towards the ground. The world was coming to him.

Hiccup sealed his eyes as he could feel the tears almost escaping. The screams of the students became more audible and close. He wasn't on his broomstick anymore; he was falling. But he didn't feel the ground. Hiccup opened his eyes and saw John flying towards him, ramming himself into Hiccup before hitting the ground. The two rolled over on the ground as Frondman approached the two, advising Hiccup to be more careful.

"What you did was reckless, Mr Wan." John looked up and was confused.

"It was reckless?" asked John, confused because he just saved Hiccup from potential death.

"If you hadn't interfered, then I would've been able to cast a charm on Mr Haddock to stop his fall. At least none of you are injured. Are you?"

John shook his head despite having a scrape on his wrist, but Hiccup was clutching onto his left ankle.

"I see. Take Mr Haddock to the hospital wing and make sure you wash that wound on your wrist. Do you understand?" asked Frondman, showing his emotionless face.

John nodded and helped Hiccup to the school infirmary, putting Hiccup's arm around his shoulders while Frondman left to teach the class.

"You okay?" John asked.

"Maybe." Hiccup was wincing when he tried to add pressure on his injured foot. "Thanks anyway, for helping me."

"Nah, it's all good. I didn't know what I was thinking to be honest. You would've been walking on your own if I didn't crash into you. But you _did_ look like you needed help. The first second you were fine, but the next second you were like a hunted duck," said John.

When Hiccup was lying on a bed, the conversation between the two continued on. John was ready to use this opportunity to skip class too.

"Maybe I should keep a Violet Dusk Crystal in my pocket for next time I go flying." Hiccup said.

"Why? So it will break your fall?" Hiccup nodded, surprised that John knew about Dusk.

"Too bad a lot of people here hate it," said Hiccup.

"Anna told me that. She said something about it having a bad reputation."

"I bet if Dagur bullies Anna for it, nobody will help, not even Xander."

"You really think so?" asked John.

"Probably."

John was silent for a few seconds and left his seat, telling Hiccup that he just remembered something he had to do.

After hours with Maudie and an icepack on his foot, Rapunzel, Merida, Jack, Kristoff, and Fishlegs came to visit Hiccup. Unfortunately a lot of people knew about the story. Perhaps Dagur and some new bullies might make fun of him for this.

* * *

A third year student entered the hospital wing, stopping Hiccup from his story. The Gryffindor girl apparently was in an accident at Care of Magical Creatures, an elective course Gobber taught that was available for third years.

The four saw Maudie set the girl on a bed and treated the wounds.

"Injured in the first week. That's the usual since Gobber tries to show off to the new students by presenting the most dangerous creatures he owns," said Maudie. "Most likely a dragon."

Merida got Hiccup's attention and encouraged him to continue.

"So that's it? Fishlegs and Oliver flew above you and your confidence just left?" asked Merida.

"It's not that they flew higher. It was what they said, about dragons. I know I'm the son of Stoick, the Chief of Berk, but my concern isn't my house placement. That was just another factor of it." Hiccup continued. "I have a fear with dragons." Hiccup closed his eyes, hands back on Jack's chair, expecting his friends to laugh or think he was pathetic.

"I'm guessing by your face that it's unusual to be scared of dragons at Berk." Merida said.

"Sorry that you're insecure about that, Hiccup. But did you really think we were that shallow?" asked Jack. "Fear isn't something to be ashamed of. It's something that keeps us alive."

"But dragons don't attack us. They help us and become our pets."

"Didn't you say that a group of people also use dragons when they attack Berk? Maybe that's where your fears derive from," said Merida.

"Besides, Hiccup, if you were in that girl's class then you would've been safe from the dragon that attacked her." Jack looked at the Gryffindor who was getting bandages wrapped around her arms and waist. Hiccup knew Jack was right about fear, but Jack didn't know the reason Hiccup feared dragons. Only the people on Berk knew.

"Ms Gothel. While I'm busy, could you please tend the boy's wounds for me?" Jack still had scabs on his face and palms.

"Why can't I do it, Maudie?" asked Merida.

"I—I thought you were busy, Your Highness," answered Maudie. Merida already knew that Maudie didn't want to order the princess around. But Merida didn't want her friends to see her as a princess who never wanted to get her hands dirty.

Rapunzel had the medicines that would heal Jack's wounds. Normally the scabs would heal, but the remedy accelerated the healing and prevented scars. She poured the solution into a cloth and stared at Jack's palms, hesitating.

"I know what this potion does. The pharmacists of Corona created it, so this might hurt a lot," warned Rapunzel.

"How do you know that it will—" Rapunzel quickly pressed the cloth on Jack's hands and he was clenching his teeth together. His skin was on fire. The burning stopped and Rapunzel continued as she gently cleaned the wound with a new cloth soaked in tepid water. The scabs were now coming off like dirt.

"Mother always used that potion on my wounds when she—" Rapunzel paused, thinking of what to say next. "When _I_ fall over."

"You 'fall' over a lot?" asked Merida.

"Yes—I mean—sometimes." Rapunzel did the same to Jack's left cheek, regretting her choice of not starting with Jack's face, the most painful spot. She knew that from experience.

"So I'm never going to be able to see the injury on my face?" asked Jack, trying to endure the pain. A teardrop escaped from Jack's left eye after all the stinging stopped.

"Of course not," said Rapunzel, laughing quietly, glad that the topic had changed. It was too personal to talk about her life at the cottage.

Jack thought about Rapunzel spying on Lily for them. They had already spoken about it during breakfast and it went along the lines like:

 _Just some strange potions she made as well as this book, where she recorded the ones she had already made._

Jack looked back at Rapunzel because he forgot to tell her something.

"So you're not wondering where Pascal is?" Jack asked while Rapunzel was cleaning the scab off his cheek.

"He leaves every now and then, usually coming back the next day. Why? Is he with you now?"

"Yeah, probably still in my dormitory along with your History of Magic books."

Rapunzel completely forgot about her books. She had left them at the Great Hall when she went to see Lily at the dungeons.

 _Stupid girl! Stupid girl! Stupid girl!_

Rapunzel tried to block out her mother's voice. Her mother didn't matter now that she wasn't here. It was Rapunzel's turn to be the judge of her mistakes.

"You're really good at this, Ms Gothel. Maybe you should come by to the infirmary to help out when there are a lot of students," said Maudie.

"I can?"

"Of course." Maudie continued tending the girl's wounds.

Hiccup was now walking normally and Jack's wounds had disappeared as if they were never there.

"Since I said my story, I think you should share with us by talking about _your_ accident, Jack." Hiccup smiled.

* * *

Jack was already in the air with Merida, obviously savouring this moment because it was his first time flying. He then wondered if his parents could buy him a broomstick, or if North was able to do that for them.

"Hey Princess! Check this out!" Jack was flying faster and then looping in the air. Merida was scoffing at his confidence and she started letting go of her broom.

"Bet you cannot do this, Overland." Jack was laughing and impressed with what a princess could do. He then shocked her by standing on his broomstick, obviously hoping Frondman wouldn't see or else penalties would apply.

"Neat. But I wouldn't suggest—" The wind rushed past Jack and purposefully rocked him back and forth. Jack quickly jumped down to land on his broomstick, trying to regain balance. Jack was now descending slowly before he regained control over the broomstick.

"Fried ogre!"

"Hairy goblin!"

Jack and Merida turned to see the Thorston Twins bickering with each other as usual. But the twins did not take notice of the other two and collided with Jack.

The three were falling and all broomsticks were out of reach. Jack wasn't worried; he knew from Hiccup that the instructor would stop their fall.

Frondman got out his wand and casted a charm one by one. Jack was the last affected by the spell, but there wasn't enough height for him to slow down. Jack landed on the ground near the gravel, receiving scrapes on both hands and his left cheek. If Jack got slowed earlier, he would've avoided the injuries. If he had slowed later on the other hand, he would've met Death.

Frondman was ready to send the twins to detention. If it weren't for them, Jack would've still been on the broomstick.

"As for you, Mr Overland, find someone to take you to the hospital wing."

Merida was flying near Jack, in range of his voice.

"Having fun up there are you, Merida?"

"Don't you dare," warned Merida.

* * *

"Thank goodness it's over. I actually preferred Xander's magic over that potion."

Rapunzel tilted her head in confusion. "Xander?"

"When I went to see North about that whole incident with Xander and Dagur, I actually bumped into him, Xander. He found a wound on my head and healed it with magic, painful, but not as much as the potion."

"Without the incantation right?" Jack nodded to Hiccup's question.

About the time the four were ready to leave the hospital wing, three students entered to see Hiccup and Jack's wounds. The three students were in Hufflepuff, and Jack only recognised one of them. The three were sons of clan leaders who were all led by Dunbroch.

The first was Macintosh, skinny and taller than Jack. He had long, wavy black hair, blue eyes, and a large nose. He acted like the leader as he confidently approached Hiccup.

The second was MacGuffin, whom Jack had already met. The third was Dingwall. His ears were large and he had spiky blonde hair. Dingwall stared into the ceiling as if his head was still in the clouds.

"Heard you got injured, Hiccup," said Macintosh.

"Well you missed it by one day. But you know, close. Did you ditch class on purpose?" Hiccup didn't even need to ask. Macintosh had most likely flown a broomstick at least once in his life. It was like riding a bicycle for a Muggle.

Macintosh turned to Merida and smiled in an unsettling way. He approached her while she was sitting on the bed.

"It's a pleasure to me meeting you, Your Highness." Again with the titles, Merida was just almost feeling liberated from her role as a princess, until Maudie and this guy had to open their mouths.

"Do I know you?" Merida lied. She knew exactly who they were by counting them, and by the way he spoke to her.

"You certainly offend me, Your Highness. Perhaps we should find a day where we can get acquainted and… 'personal'. That way we can prepare for when our parents approve?"

They heard the groaning of MacGuffin. He placed his hand onto his face to hide the embarrassment. Dingwall on the contrary wasn't paying attention. They weren't sure if he was even listening.

"Approve of what?" Merida asked, with more aggravation.

"Our marriage of course. My father told me that our three clans have to compete in the future for the hand of Merida Dunbroch." Merida was not impressed. Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup were confused, not knowing that arranged marriages were still occurring.

"Of course, out of the three clans, which of us is more attractive and wealthier to be able to benefit Dunbroch? Me, that's who." He stepped forward and she leaned back slowly.

"That isn't true. If something like that were to happen then my mum would have talked to me about it."

"So when should we start getting to know each other—better yet, _where_ are we going to get to know each other?" Macintosh was not taking no for an answer, as he was directly in front of her now.

"Merida said no. Leave or else," threatened Jack.

Macintosh turned to Jack and was about to say something, until a large arm wrapped around Macintosh's neck. MacGuffin was holding him in a lock and began dragging him out the infirmary.

"Sorry about that guys—I didn't know he'd talk about that." MacGuffin finally got Macintosh out of the room but Dingwall was still there. He finally got back into his senses and ran outside to look for his friends.

Macintosh's voice was heard from outside. "You're lucky you've got someone to protect you, Jackson!" They weren't sure whom he was talking about then, but it didn't matter now he was gone.

"What a weird bunch…" said Merida. "I've never actually met them before, but I know of them."

"At least MacGuffin was there to expunge the conflict," said Hiccup.

* * *

Lily watched the four hourglasses in the Entrance Hall. They were all different in their own way. She focussed on the hourglass with the eagle statue. There were small gems inside of it like the other hourglasses.

Five stones then dropped down from the top half, joining with the other blue gems. It meant that Ravenclaw just gained 5 house points.

Lily didn't care about the Gryffindor hourglass, even though it was in the lead. She was fixated to the blue gems. It provided a familiar glow.

"You lost?"

Lily was startled and saw John Wan behind her. He was covering his face for some reason. He was embarrassed to have scared her.

"John?" said Lily.

"So you know who I am?" asked John.

"We're in the same Potions class, yes?"

"Oh, right! Don't mind me… just looking around to see who's winning. What's confused me is a Gryffindor staring at a Ravenclaw hourglass," said John.

Lily stared at him and decided to answer—not that she was the type to ignore all questions. "The glowing of these gemstones just seem… familiar."

"Really? Maybe it's because it glows like Indigo Dusk Crystals." John replied. He went closer to the hourglass and looked up, seeing his reflection on the top half. "What accent is that?"

"French. Isn't indigo a purple colour?" asked Lily.

"Not really. It's in between. Technically Blue Dusk Crystals come in many shades. There are actually six main colours in the Dusk Spectrum. A lot of people seem to split the blues and indigos, so now it became the norm. Anyway, Blue and Indigo Dusk belong in the same group: Blue."

"Then why do they have different effects?" Five sapphires floated up into the top half. Ravenclaw lost 5 house points.

"Ice and water? Think about it… aren't they essentially the same thing? If water is cooled down, then it becomes a solid. If it's heated, it becomes steam. And what colour goes after indigo?"

"Violet," answered Lily. She then remembered where she saw the blue glow of the sapphires. The cabinet next to hers in the dungeons were identical. John also seemed knowledgeable towards Dusk Technology. She then came to a sudden realisation. "You're the one who used the Potions classroom."

"How did you know?!"

"A lucky guess. I'm also using that room."

"Oh! So it's only you?" asked John. She nodded.

They had only met now because John only entered that room once, to hide his equipment. He was always busy studying about Dusk with Anna since he didn't want to ruin the Dusk Weapon.

* * *

Jack and Rapunzel were headed to Gryffindor Tower to fetch for her books and Pascal. They made it through the Grand Staircase and at the eighth-floor (seventh according to Rapunzel). Jack hesitated to say the password to enter his common room.

"It's okay, Jack. It's not like I'm some kind of spy who's collecting information for the enemies of magic." Jack tried to understand what she meant.

"Enemies of magic?"

"I'm not sure myself too. During Year X, there were bad people who wanted to eliminate magic," explained Rapunzel.

"I knew Year X was the cause of that. But I thought it was some kind of civil war between wizards, which had a price to be payed."

"You should've asked earlier. I assumed you knew about it," said Rapunzel. "So as you know, magic was possible all over the world—when I say magic, I mean casting spells. So potions, broomsticks, and Floo powder _do_ work outside of the United Kingdom. An evil group of people battled wizards and nearly won. When they faced the strongest source of magic—which was Hogwarts—they proved no match and fled. These people killed millions of wizards and only had wizards from the UK to deal with. They are also in trouble now because wizards are appearing in Muggle families all over the world. Rumour has it that students outside of Europe are kidnapped by the evil group."

"Who are these evil people? Why aren't people scared?" asked Jack.

"I don't really know. Mother always told me about these people, maybe to just scare me. I now know it's false because you and John aren't from Europe. And don't worry, it's been almost one hundred years since that war."

Jack said the password in front of Rapunzel as she waited for him. He returned with the books and Pascal, who was eager to see her.

"So what are you going to do this weekend? Gonna accept Merida's offer to hang near the Black Lake?" asked Jack.

"I don't even know what to do other than study. So I guess I have no choice, Jack."

"Same."


	10. Halloween Prank

The giant squid never came to Jack and his friends. They were the only ones at the edge of the Black Lake while the howling winds created an environment with no warmth, emphasising a lonely, desolate world full of emptiness.

"That's a shame. I was sure that there was a giant squid," said Merida.

These days, if there was anything Jack heard that was implausible, he'd have to believe it because the world of magic existed. Everything that was believed to be mythical had a chance of being real.

"What do we do now? We can't enter the Forbidden Forest," said Hiccup.

"We should probably go explore the castle, or we should study," suggested Rapunzel.

"I know what we can do. Anybody know how to play Wizard's Chess? It's the same as normal chess," said Merida.

"I know the rules, but I don't know strategies to win," said Rapunzel.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you some of my tricks."

Merida owned a Wizard's Chess set in her room and sometimes played with her mother—although she had lost most of the time. Merida was also sure that the times she had won was because her mother went easy on her so Merida could feel better. Wizard's Chess was enchanted to make the pieces move on the player's command, attacking and then sweeping the losing piece away. It was exactly the same as normal chess except for the moving pieces.

Those were the memories Merida had, the ones when she was too young to be making decisions. And now, Merida's mother used the pieces and chessboard as metaphors and to explain stories, especially the one about the four kingdoms that fell into chaos after one of the princes fulfilled his selfish desires. It was to teach Merida the consequences of abandoning her roles of being a princess.

* * *

The school's routine became repetitive that it was already close to Halloween. During breakfast, there were pumpkins and other decorations being prepared for the Halloween Feast tomorrow. The floating candles were supposedly going to be replaced with jack-o-lanterns, which was going make the hall brighter with pumpkin faces watching over them.

"What's the matter, Bunnymund? Sick of carrots are you?" Jack joked. Professor Bunnymund was carrying a pumpkin to help Gobber with the decorations. He eyed Jack with a pair of burning green eyes, ready to bring down whoever got in his way.

"Oh, a bunny joke is it? Isn't that amusing?" Bunnymund leaned in closer to intimidate Jack, changing his angered expression into a mischievous grin as if he had thought of something clever to use against Jack.

"You better watch it, mate. We're currently looking for bludgers to work all day carving pumpkins. And I sure as hell would not want to be in your position when _you_ get chosen."

Bunnymund left the Great Hall in a flash and Jack saw Dagur as one of the students helping. Bunnymund couldn't have been serious. How would those students go to class after breakfast?

"I already like this teacher," said Jack jokingly.

"At least it isn't Professor Black. He nearly failed me for screwing up the potion," said Hiccup.

Merida and Rapunzel also came after leaving their common rooms. Usually Jack got to the Great Hall before the others—even though Hiccup's common room was closest. After Jack, it would've been Hiccup who'd arrive, then Merida and Rapunzel together.

"So I've looked into things at the library and asked Professor Toothiana. Professor North, Bunnymund, Mansnoozie, Black, and herself are all the legends we suspected. The Heads of House were the creators of magic along with other professors," said Rapunzel.

"Well that's interesting. I heard that Professor Black was evil but turned over a new leaf," said Hiccup, digging through his breakfast.

Jack heard whispering nearby and saw Nod and other students calling him.

"Give me one minute, guys." Jack left the Slytherin table and went to the corridors.

"What's up?" Nod was with another three students. Two of them were the Thorston Twins, but Jack didn't know the Hufflepuff who appeared to be from Nod's year.

"So me and these three want to create a prank. We can't tell you the details unless you're in," said Nod.

"Okay…? I guess I'm in." Jack said.

"Okay, cool. So tomorrow morning, we're going to make it snow, even though it's not Christmas. I've heard that you were good with the Freezing Spell, which is why we called you in for this job. I want you to cast it into the ceiling in the Great Hall when it's unoccupied. Me and the rest will use our skills in different areas in order to make the snow happen. It's not really a prank when you think about it."

"I don't think it'll work. I'm just here to make sure Nod isn't doing anything extreme." The Hufflepuff said. She had auburn hair and a ponytail; some of the strands were hanging out and her side bangs covered her forehead.

"And I'm sure it _will_ work. I'm just going to remind you that you're welcome to bail out because I know you'll only tell Elsa and Hans. But even after that, they won't report me," said Nod.

"Don't worry, Nod. I'm not leaving."

"So where was I…? Jack, after your spell, me and MK will use charms to cover the spell and to make it activate tomorrow morning. The twins over here will use a potion they found in the dungeons. The potion apparently made spells multiply," said Nod.

"Sure, whatever that means!" Ruffnut yelled. Jack wasn't sure if the twins knew what they were doing. The twins usually did what wasn't expected of the professors, leading them into detentions.

"And your friend?" asked Jack.

"Oh, MK is just here to watch. She'll help me with the spells too since she doesn't want things to fall into chaos."

* * *

It was nighttime and students were already in the common rooms. Only some older students were allowed to stay up an hour longer, and prefects could patrol the corridors in case some decided to sneak out.

Nod, Jack, and the twins made their way outside while avoiding the prefects.

"Where's MK?" asked Jack.

"Don't worry about her. She's already in the Great Hall since her common room is at the kitchens," said Nod.

The four walked through the darkness that only granted light in a few areas, where the lit torches hung on the walls. Jack's breath was also visible in the light, condensing on the palm when he held his hand over his mouth.

There was a purple glow from one of the twins, presumably the potion from the dungeons. Jack could also hear the sound of bells ringing every step they took.

"How did you manage to steal a potion from the storeroom in the dungeons anyway?" asked Jack. The potion glowed brighter when Tuffnut revealed it from his pocket. The purple potion somehow created the sound of the ringing bells.

"How should we know? We found the cupboard and tried the Unlocking Charm. I guess Professor Black isn't as smart as he thinks he is," said Ruffnut.

"That doesn't sound right. Normally important storages such as Black's potions are top priority," said Nod.

"And how did you two know it caused spells to multiply?" asked Jack.

"We stole two of the three purple ones so Black wouldn't notice and tested one of them. There was this red book that had instructions so we copied it to test it out. We're not _that_ stupid to steal Black's book. We followed the instructions and fired a spell to the potion, but it created a weird symbol and fired the same spell back at us. Only a thousand times more." Tuffnut clenched his fists. "I'll get back at that potion for firing fire at me, by firing my fiery passion back at it!"

When they got to the Great Hall, MK was waiting for them on her table. The ceiling was pitch black with specks of glitter that were stars. With nobody expected to be in the Great Hall, the candles were unlit. It was darker than usual. There were also groups of carved pumpkins ready to be used tomorrow evening. The Enchanted Ceiling simulated an approaching cloud, where it could've sent heavy rain over the entire room if it was real.

"So what now?" asked MK.

"I say we booby trap the professors' chairs. Watching them fly would be a blessing." Tuffnut was mesmerised with his own imaginations, blinking rapidly with both hands clasped together.

"The only prank we're doing is making it snow on a Halloween morning," whispered Nod.

The process was tiring. It took many tries for the twins to create the Levitation Charm on the potion without destroying it. If the spell did activate the potion, it would've multiplied the spell and caused everything to fly. The purple potion glowed in some kind of enigmatic light Jack could not describe. There were also a few occasions where Nod had to calm the two from ripping each other into different pieces.

"C'mon guys, we're trying to work together."

"Yeah, but Tuffnut started it!"

"Well I found it!"

"Did not!" Ruffnut pushed.

"Did too!" Tuffnut pushed back, making his sister fall.

Nod shushed them before someone heard them from the corridors.

The twins tried the spell again and Jack watched the purple potion float into the air. The potion's contents were audible to all of them even in the air, creating a faint ring as if it was a chime. It floated perfectly at the centre of the ceiling.

"Okay, good. Jack, it's your turn to fire the Freezing Spell into the potion. Try not to miss."

Jack pointed his wand and repeated the incantation in his head. He then wondered why they were going through all this effort to create snow. If magic was what Jack thought it was, then there would've been a shortcut to everything.

"Please don't tell me you forgot the spell, Jack," said Nod, worried that his plan would go into a halt.

"I know the spell, but… I don't see why we're going through all this trouble. Couldn't we just find a proper spell for creating snow?" asked Jack.

"We tried to look for it all over the library but found nothing. MK dug a little deeper and found that the spell for snow was in a book written by North. The thing about that spellbook is that there's only one copy, which is stored in the Restricted Section. Getting in that room is impossible for even me and MK." Nod explained.

"How on earth did Xander get in?" Jack thought.

Nod, MK, and the twins were waiting for Jack. Even the levitating potion waited as it was suspended in the ceiling, rocking back and forth with the twinkling sound of chimes. Jack took a deep breath and prepared to fire the Freezing Spell.

"Glacius," said Jack. The blue spell shot out from Jack's wand and flew towards the potion. The spell missed and Jack tried again.

On Jack's second try, the blue spell was stronger and wasn't going to miss. The potion exploded and created a purple glyph, expanding until the radius reached the edges of the walls. The circular glyph was still floating in the air, rings rotating in different directions. The Great Hall was illuminated in the magenta glow as the five students watched the marvellous view.

"Now MK and I will cover up the glyph. Jack, the glyph will multiply the spell on your command. So be careful and try not to wave your wand or else it might activate the symbol early."

Jack watched as a wispy substance emerged from the tip of MK and Nod's wands, combining together before shrouding the circular symbol. The glyph then disappeared and the students returned to their dormitories without getting caught.

* * *

The Great Hall was finally decorated for the feast, but it wasn't until dinner where the actual celebration began. The menu this morning was the same as other mornings, but dinner was going to serve a range of Halloween themed treats.

Jack was the first out of his friends to be eating breakfast, toast with a spread of peanut butter. He could not stop looking back and forth at the ceiling to see if the glyph was either still there, or if the glyph had disappeared overnight.

"Jack," a voice called to him while he was staring at the ceiling. Jack looked down and saw John standing in front of him.

"John? Can I help you?" John was holding flyers with the words 'Orchestra'.

"Well I was wondering if you're interested in joining the Hogwarts' orchestra—that's if you know how to play an instrument." John handed the flyer to Jack.

"Do you play an instrument? Or are you a singer?" asked Jack, half joking about the singing part.

"Of course I can sing, but I'm playing the guitar. If you want to sing, then you have to join the Frog Choir," said John.

"I think I'll pass because I can do neither of them." John left and spoke to other students before leaving to work on his 'secret weapon'.

Jack saw Nod sitting on the other side of the table and he told Jack to wait a little bit longer for more students to arrive.

When the moment came, which was half an hour later, Nod gave Jack the signal to wave his wand. One swish downwards created a sizzling sound as ice began falling from the ceiling.

The students were confused as tiny particles of crushed ice built up on the ground. Nod gathered a bunch in his hand and threw the fake snow across the room, initiating a 'snowball' fight.

Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup were already suspicious of Jack's actions from the start. His half honest answers and his constant gestures with Nod were the hints of something happening.

When the floor was beginning to flood with crushed ice, Nod told the twins to stop the potion's effects.

"Um, yeah. We did not exactly learn how to remove the potion's magic," said Ruffnut.

"But you guys said that you destroyed it with a spell!" yelled Nod.

"We did, before it released a barrage of destruction!" yelled back Tuffnut.

"Yeah! Destruction!" shouted Ruffnut, head-butting Tuffnut as they always did when agreeing with something. They also head-butted if they did something fun like causing chaos, which was the case right now.

"This is bad. Jack, try to stop it since you had control!" Nod suggested.

Jack waved his wand in different motions but showed no results. One of the flicks of Jack's wand made the situation worse, where the glyph began generating larger and chunkier ice.

Students ran out of the Great Hall to avoid potential injuries, Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel included. Jack, Nod, and MK did their best to eliminate the Multiply Potion. There were students still inside, hiding underneath the tables.

The large doors opened and Professor North marched into the centre of the room, aiming his wand towards the ceiling. A bolt of white shot out from North's wand and it revealed the glyph before shattering it.

The hail stopped but the ground was still wet and iced. Effort was required to clean up the mess, but who were the best candidates?

"Nod and anyone else who was involved, come with me now." North left and waited in the corridor. It was now a test of honesty.

Nod stopped MK before she went with him. "You should stay back since you weren't involved in it as much as I was."

"I don't think so. I helped hide the glyph," said MK.

"I know, but if you're in trouble like me then you're risking your chances of becoming a prefect with Elsa and Hans." Nod placed his palm on her cheek before leaving.

"Good luck, Nod."

* * *

North and the students stood in the corridors while students gathered into the Great Hall to witness the aftermath.

"Where do I begin?" North was stroking his white beard.

Jack did not like this situation. Nod and the twins were serious, which made Jack feel guilty about using the Freezing Spell. Was anyone injured? That was probably the first thing Jack had to do to break the ice.

"Was anyone hurt by the snow—I mean, by the ice?" asked Jack.

"Well, you should not worry about that; the only damage caused was a few freezing souls and some students slipping by the frost," said North. He began lecturing them.

"First of all, each and every one of you should realise your mistakes. You have caused a lot of inconvenience to not only everyone in the Great Hall, but also yourselves. I'm going to be lenient today because this was intended to be a harmless prank, was it not?"

"Yes, but that doesn't excuse our faults, Professor North," said Nod ruefully.

"Nod, you and your friends have a strong chance of being prefects next year. The other Gryffindor male in your year has a lower chance, but we do not want you to change our minds." North then directed his speech to the rest of the students. "Next time you decide to create things like snowfall, you should do more research and to not experiment with magic like that. Many accidents are created if students your age aren't too careful. None would be able to imagine Hogwarts being trapped in an eternal blizzard."

Jack thought about what North said about experimenting with magic. Xander created his own spell, even before joining Hogwarts probably.

"As for your consequences… I'm going to have to deduct 50 points from Gryffindor. Nod, since you were the ringleader, you will have detention. Finally, I would appreciate it if you all cleaned up the mess."

The students went to the Great Hall where the ground was frosted and decorated with piles of ice, which gathered around every surface exposed to the Enchanted Ceiling.

"Jack," called North. "I want to speak with you privately."

Jack and North went to the corner where less light shone above them. The intensity of the ice was noticeable to Jack at this part of the hall. He even felt the goose bumps developing on his arms.

"I wanted to speak with you because I felt that it would be careless to tell the twins. Jack, where did the twins get that potion?"

"From Professor Black's storeroom, Professor Nor—"

"You can just call me North. You're not in trouble, Jack," said North. He then processed what Jack said about Pitch's storeroom.

"If the twins found it in Professor Black's storeroom, then he must be the one who made it. But here's the complication: That was not any potion I've ever seen throughout my life since Century A. Potions are liquids that take effect if the drinker ingests it, is it not?"

"I don't know if I can answer that because—you know—look at me. But are you telling me that Professor Black invented a new type of potion?"

"No, if he did then it meant that he was doing things behind our backs, which is never good for us. This potion created effects, but only a spell could activate it. I'm sure the ingredients used were not the standard ingredients taught here. Do you know anything about another storage for potions?"

 _Just some strange potions she made as well as this book where she recorded the ones she had already made._

 _There was this red book that had instructions so we copied it to test it out._

"No wonder why they were able to open the lock," muttered Jack.

"Jack?" questioned North.

"Lily from our house makes potions in the dungeons. I didn't know what kind of potions she had created. But if the twins found a potion unprotected, then it was definitely from her collection. I'm just wondering what you plan to do with this information," said Jack.

"She's not going to be punished. Perhaps I should cast the Anti-Alohomora Charm and teach her a stronger spell that will unlock the storage. But if she had that knowledge, she'd be able to bypass the Restricted Section. If I can't teach Ms Sirène, then I hope the twins learnt their lesson and won't steal any more from her collection."

"What if we found something better for the twins to be distracted by?" Jack suggested.

"Ha! Wonderful idea, Jack!" North patted Jack on the back. Moonhaven and the students were staring at them now.

"I'll handle that matter, Jack. Before I go, I should tell you, if you were to create snow again, do it outside where nobody has to clean it up," insisted North.

"Okay… North."

Professor Moonhaven and the students were already cleaning up the ice. She saw Jack approach her and North gave her a nod before leaving.

"So I guess you're also the one who's helping with the cleaning. Could I ask… how many got away with the discipline?" asked Moonhaven.

"Just MK." Nod said, not caring if Moonhaven knew.

"I see. I would've thought Hans helped, since he's done it a few times already. Before Jack begins, since we have more than enough helping, Nod, because you're the only one that received detention, you might as well do it now at Professor Bunnymund's office. Wouldn't want to do it later and miss out on the feast now, would you?"

Nod agreed and left the Great Hall.

"Typical Nod. If I'd told him to do detention with Ronin then he'd reject it straight away because he hates being lectured by his own guardian," said Moonhaven. Ronin sounded familiar to Jack; he soon realised that it was the Flying teacher, Frondman.

Moonhaven taught a few simple spells to them so they could quickly eliminate the ice without burning up the room. She left it to the students when the hall was halfway cleared.

* * *

John carefully placed his foot on the ice so he could get to non-slippery ground. He slowly added pressure and then lifted his back foot, causing him to fall on the icy floor. He looked up and saw Moonhaven as well as the culprits cleaning up the mess, but there were none near him to see or help.

John had heard about the hailstorm at the Great Hall, but wasn't interested since he was just there handing out flyers; his weapon was top priority. When he heard that it became a disaster, he left Lily by herself—though she might've not noticed his presence in the first place. When John got to the corridors where the entrance to the Great Hall was, North was talking to a few students. Jack was one of them. It soon clicked to John that they were the creators of the hail.

John was still lying on the ice and did not attempt to stand up or else he'd become a laughing stock. The ice around him began fading and he looked up to see Xander, the boy who helped Jack and Hiccup from Dagur. Xander's hand was reaching towards him and John took it, standing back on his two feet. John noticed that Xander's eyes were silver, empty with the lack of mood and colour. It was making him feel uneasy.

"Thanks… Xander."

"You know me? I was beginning to think that you would forget about me and Yang after a whole year," said Xander.

"I'm sorry, I thought I needed an invitation before speaking to the two of you. How could I forget about yous two? You guys nearly destroyed an entire city."

"I am afraid I will be the one asking the questions. Why are you building a Dusk Weapon?"

John became tense and had the urge to run. Dagur finding out about his weapon was trouble, but Xander and Yang was a different story. John then wondered if Xander was joking but there was no luck; his face was dead serious. John then thought of a better approach, being honest and sincere.

"Because I'm interested with Dusk Weapons. I think they're cool." Was there any point asking how Xander knew about his weapon?

"How about the Potions classroom where the weapon is being built?" asked Xander.

"It's good because it's not used by anyone else other than this girl who's in Gryffindor," said John. Xander showed a face of disdain; it was probably the only emotion Xander could show other than bored. "Huh? You don't like Gryffindors? Thought you did because… you know… 'cause you saved Jack from Dagur… and Dagur is from your own house."

"What does the Gryffindor do in that room?" asked Xander, ignoring John's question.

"You seem different." John claimed.

" _What_ … does the girl do in that room?" repeated Xander.

"She creates potions. It's pretty awesome how she knows everything about them, but she doesn't talk a lot," said John, wondering if the questions ended. "She has her reasons to be making potions just like how I have my own reasons to make Quicksilver."

"You named it?" he asked rhetorically.

Xander left the Great Hall and it gave John a thought. Why was John trying to create a Dusk Weapon for himself? For protection? From what? John was from Asia, so he had to be serious about the rumour of people getting abducted or killed by the Dark Weapon. But nothing has happened to him so far other than that close encounter last year. John then wondered if he was in danger with Xander and Yang around.


	11. Quidditch: 1st Round

Jack rested on the hills outside of Hogwarts with Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel. Their weekend had reached a midway point now that it was Saturday afternoon. The frost was setting in as Jack felt the grass brushing against his fingertips, melting to his touch.

"I didn't think Hogwarts would be _this_ cold. I bet it'll snow before Christmas comes," said Merida. She was drawing her bow and shooting the trunk of a tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Even though Merida was preoccupied talking to her friends, she did not miss the tree.

"It's true we go back home for Christmas, right?" asked Jack.

"It is, Jack. But there are some students who stay because they want to be with their friends or they want to study or because they have no one to go back to, sadly." Merida answered.

"If that's the case then I guess I have to go home then. I promised Mother that I'd return home if given the chance."

"Rapunzel, everyone has the chance of leaving Hogwarts," said Merida.

"You know what I mean." Rapunzel happened to take promises seriously. Receiving them from her would be rare.

"What about you Hiccup?" asked Jack.

"I have to. They're probably running out of weapons while me and Gobber are gone."

"You and Gobber make the weapons?" asked Merida.

"Yeah, whenever Gobber returns from Hogwarts, he would work his butt off creating enough weapons. If the supplies do run out however, I would be the one making sure that it doesn't happen by making more—though I can't make them as fast as Gobber."

"You know how to use a sword?" asked Merida.

"Depends on what kind of sword. Most of the ones I forge are too heavy for me."

"Well that's a shame. I was thinking you and me could duel."

"Where do you think I can get all necessary tools to make a sword here?" questioned Hiccup.

"Remember those older students walking down that path?" asked Merida, pointing at the twisted path that snaked all the way around the lake. Before reaching the lake, the path actually led to a village nearby.

"They went to Hogsmeade. And yes, I _do_ remember those students," said Hiccup.

"Well even further is a new zone called New Hogsmeade. That area is more industrial and they are bound to have the stuff you'd need, Hiccup," said Merida.

"Wasn't Hogsmeade a station?" asked Rapunzel.

"No, that was Hogsmeade Station, which is part of Hogsmeade. The distance from Hogsmeade to the station is just as far as Hogsmeade is to Hogwarts." Merida corrected, releasing the bowstring.

"Why did they expand? And is it true that according to Nod, we're not allowed at Hogsmeade?" asked Jack.

"They only let third years and up go to Hogsmeade. There are many shops there and the only exception for us to go to Hogsmeade is to deliver letters, but you'd know that, Jack," said Merida.

Jack had been to Hogsmeade almost two months ago, before his flying accident. The place had many adults and there were a few stores that caught his attention; it was just like walking around Diagon Alley. It felt like a taunt to Jack, having to go with Nod because Jack wasn't permitted on his own. Jack felt that he was old enough to complete a simple task. How hard was going to the Hogsmeade Post Office to send a letter to his family?

It was a rather long wait for Jack to receive his family's reply. Apparently the letters took longer depending on how far the location was. The main thing his parents emphasised on the letter was how much Emma missed him, so he had a better reason to go back home.

"And New Hogsmeade?" Jack asked again.

"I'm not sure about that place. It wasn't there when my mother and father went to Hogwarts. You should probably ask Anna about that since the Arendelle Corp owns that plot of land. New Hogsmeade is related to Dusk, which sparked a large riot before the construction commenced."

The conversation redirected to the upcoming Quidditch match.

"So are all of you going to see the Quidditch match tomorrow? Nod told me he'd be in it with his friends," said Jack.

"Of course I'll be there. I wouldn't want to miss the first match with Slytherin against Ravenclaw," said Merida.

"How is Quidditch played?" asked Rapunzel.

"Well, I can explain since my friends from Berk played imitations of the game when I was little. So each team has two Beaters, three Chasers, one Keeper, and one Seeker. The Chasers have to score goals by throwing a ball called a Quaffle into the goal hoops on the opponent's side. Beaters use bats to hit smaller balls called Bludgers that can injure people. Keepers protect their hoops from the Quaffle, and Seekers are on their own searching for the Golden Snitch. The game ends when the Golden Snitch is caught, or if a team forfeits."

"That's it? It sounds as easy as the games at Hawthorne," said Jack, not understanding where all the excitement about Quidditch came from.

"I forgot to mention that all players are on broomsticks," said Hiccup.

"Well that makes everything different, doesn't it? You have all the things to play Quidditch at Berk? Doesn't magic not work?" asked Jack.

"I said we played imitations. At Berk, we did it on the ground, using rocks as Bludgers and a sheep as a Quaffle. We used Fireworm dragons as the Golden Snitch—even though Snotlout sometimes snuck in a second Fireworm—because they're living and have unpredictable movements. Of course, I didn't play with them since I'd only make them lose, always running away from the Fireworm no matter what position I am on the team."

"Aren't there only six of you from Berk?" asked Rapunzel.

"There's more younger than us. We're not sure if they possess magic like we do, but it's likely. There's no teenager older than us, meaning that we're the first of the generation to go to Hogwarts after a long time." Hiccup was watching some students return from Hogsmeade. They weren't in uniform, so their clothing was vividly coloured compared to the black uniform of Hogwarts.

"Maybe you can join the Quidditch team. The Golden Snitch isn't a dragon and you can prove to everyone on Berk that you're what you want to be." Rapunzel suggested.

"It's too late anyway, tryouts are over and first years aren't allowed to join. Besides, my performance in Flying is still mediocre. I always get nervous when flying in the air now," said Hiccup.

"But it's true that you enjoyed it before you thought about riding dragons?" asked Jack.

"Yeah…" admitted Hiccup.

* * *

In the giant field above Hogwarts, there was the Quidditch pitch, a stadium for the students to practice and play. The Slytherins were the last to practice before the first Quidditch match of the year. Their captain, Hans, was leading them with many students observing from the seats that ringed around the entire pitch.

MK and Nod were watching Hans coordinate his team along with some of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor team members.

"You think we'll stop Quidditch next year when we become prefects?" asked MK.

Nod hesitated to answer because he'd never talk about his insecurities to many people. He decided to play it cool and to try convincing her that things would stay the same.

"Nah, I don't see how a title would affect our time. We just have to persist and try our hardest."

Nod's closest friends were Hans, Elsa, and MK. He had Quidditch to thank for that. It's uncommon for people from different houses to be friends, let alone having one from each house. Having a Ravenclaw, a Slytherin, and a Hufflepuff friend made Nod a better person overall. Their different perspectives helped him lead his Quidditch team after having difficulties being a young captain.

"Then what about OWLs? That would affect our academic results, wouldn't it?" said MK. OWLs was a test that had to be taken seriously. All fifth year students were expected to do this test if they wanted to continue specific subjects in the future. Depending on how many subjects the student studied affected the number of OWLs they had to take.

Nod didn't answer. He felt defeated. One of his Gryffindor friends left him last year, which showed him how delicate friendships were. He wanted to do whatever it took to keep his remaining friends together. Without them, he'd have no support in Hogwarts. If they were to all stop Quidditch, then he'd have no reason to talk with his closest friends.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the future. Relax, Nod. We'll see what Elsa and Hans have to say about it then." MK leaned on Nod and placed her hand on his shoulder for reassurance. She was laughing as if it was a joke, but she didn't know how Nod was feeling, how badly he didn't want things to change.

Nod saw three students approaching them, first years most likely.

"Is this the Hufflepuff captain? I'd like to join the Quidditch team." The boy spoke with pride. It was Macintosh and his two friends.

"If it's not a bother," added MacGuffin, trying to cancel out Macintosh's abrupt request.

"It's not a bother. The only problem is that first years can't join. But I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you next year," said MK, sitting up from Nod's shoulder.

"I wasn't talking to you, sweetie. I want the captain of Hufflepuff to answer," said Macintosh.

It was the first time somebody didn't expect MK to be the Hufflepuff captain. To be fair, it was probably because her and Nod weren't wearing their school uniform.

"I _am_ the captain. Nod over here is in Gryffindor."

"Well it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're going to need my skills to be able to win future matches." The Quidditch players around MK began laughing at the first year. Was he even hearing himself?

MacGuffin left Macintosh because of all the humiliation. But Dingwall stayed with Macintosh, perhaps more oblivious of the situation than Macintosh was.

* * *

"Your friend embarrassed you?" called a voice before MacGuffin left the pitch.

It was the Princess of Arendelle, Anna. She was with a few other students he could recognise from Slytherin and Gryffindor.

"A little." MacGuffin answered carefully.

"Well, if you ever feel the need to hide from embarrassment, you could always stay with us."

MacGuffin looked at the other students. The Slytherin was Flynn Rider, and the two Gryffindors were Astrid and Snotlout.

"Thank you but I think I want to go to my common room for now," said MacGuffin. His words were difficult to understand, but they got the idea.

"That's fine, but just remember the offer next time you decide to hide." Anna suggested.

MacGuffin smiled and left quickly. The faces that stared at him gave him the creeps. It wasn't scopophobia; it was just because he didn't enjoy the attention. Being with Macintosh didn't help making him invisible, but being on his own did.

"Strange kid," said Astrid. She became friends with Flynn because Snotlout introduced him to the Berk students. After that, Flynn became friends with Anna, and now here they were.

"So Anna, where was I? That's right, the loser of the bet tomorrow will have to go into the Forbidden Forest. Merida from my house said that the blue light could lead people to their destiny, and my destiny is being rich!" yelled Flynn.

"What if your destiny was actually dying in the forest?" asked Anna.

"I'll try not to think that way. Just don't come crying to me when you find out that I became richer than you. There's really no downside to whichever team loses for me because I would either gain your respect, or become rich."

"What do you think, Astrid? Snotlout?" Anna waited for their opinions on the matter.

"I'm staying out of this. With the twins in detention and pulling pranks most of the time, I kind of miss their fights. I guess this fight is a good substitute," said Astrid, blowing her blonde hair off her left eye.

"I'm with you, babe," said Snotlout. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"You know what? I think I'm going to practice my axe throwing near Gobber's Hut." Astrid left her friends. She normally did this to escape Snotlout. He once followed her but learnt that he shouldn't be near Astrid whenever she wielded a battle-axe.

* * *

The next day, Elsa and Hans waited in different tents with their team, ready for their match. Not only were they captains, but they were also Seekers like Nod and MK. The rivalry had kept them together for a while now.

"Kick his butt. I'll do the same with Nod when my match arrives." It was MK, who would always support Elsa; unless they were against each other, then Hans would've supported Elsa. MK had both the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor scarves around her neck; Nod would be wearing the same too.

"Okay, everyone! Before the match begins, I would like to give an honourable mention to our new member from second year beginning her first match." The Ravenclaw team clapped for the new girl. She was athletic and wanted to join since her first year.

"Our strategy: Destroy the Slytherins and show who really dominates in Quidditch." The team roared before leaving the tents. Elsa also had to do her best and remain calm for several reasons, one of them being that this was the first match with her younger sister watching.

They were all on their broomsticks, forming a circle with the opposing team. Below them, in the centre of the circle, was Frondman. He was going to begin the match and act as the umpire.

Elsa scouted the seats to see if she could find Anna, but it was impossible because nearly everyone wore blue and green.

The Golden Snitch and the Bludgers scattered in the air, disappearing from Elsa's sight. When the Quaffle was thrown by Frondman, the game began.

Elsa ignored her teammates and aimed for the Golden Snitch—wherever it was. She constantly shifted her view from the sky to Hans, just to see if he spotted the Snitch before she did.

Elsa heard the crowd cheer as Slytherin scored a goal. She headed down and ignored the Golden Snitch for now, giving tips and advice for her teammates. She then followed the rookie and guided her for a few more minutes, hoping that she didn't waste time letting Hans find the Snitch.

Elsa peeked into the sky and saw Hans flying at high speeds, creating strange movements. Elsa ascended towards Hans. He was chasing the Snitch. The real match started.

* * *

Jack, Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel made it before the match began. The tall stands had professors and some students in them. Most students were on the seats that were between the stands, enclosing the field. Jack noticed that the students were divided by the four houses, meaning wherever him and his friends sat, three of them wouldn't fit in.

"Let's just find an empty spot," said Jack.

"Hey, how about over there?" Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel were trying to make out what Merida was looking at, but none succeeded.

"Where are you pointing? Merida?" asked Jack.

"There's an area of seats with less students. I can see some students from different houses," said Merida. The three were impressed with how far Merida could see. Maybe that's what helped with her archery.

"How do you know since most are wearing blue and green?" asked Rapunzel.

"I can see Anna and Flynn."

At the seats with some of their friends, Jack watched the match and didn't know where to focus. Elsa and Hans were speeding through the air and the rest of the team were scoring goals.

"It is good to see more people from different houses all together," came a voice that caught Jack off guard. Jack and his friends looked back and saw Xander and Yang.

"Why's that?" asked Jack.

"Sometimes the divisions between houses create unnecessary conflict," said Xander.

Merida turned to face Xander directly. Her face changed from content to confused.

"Unnecessary? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the Dark Weapon are among us, and what most people in this school worry about are the status of their blood, their fears, and their family." Xander's eyes slowly squinted. Yang was watching the conversation sternly.

"You can't be serious. Do you really believe in stories that are meant to scare children?" asked Merida, laughing because someone like Xander believed in such rumours.

"Xander's right, but why should we waste our time trying to convince you guys?" said Yang.

"They are not stories. They are facts." Xander left the seat with Yang. Something about their departure made Merida think that they were focussed on her and her friends, not the match.

"Do you believe this guy?" asked Merida, but there was no reply from her friends. "You guys believe him, don't you?"

"Take into account that Jack and Rapunzel haven't been in the wizarding world as long as we have," said Hiccup.

"But we've told them everything we know and they should know that nothing has happened for a hundred years," hissed Merida.

"To tell the truth, guys, I'm with Merida on this. But I wouldn't laugh or blame any of you two if you did believe that the Dark Weapon are still active," said Hiccup. The Dark Weapon was one of the things on his list that didn't scare him. The things he worried about the most were the Outcasts, currently a threat to Berk as opposed to the Dark Weapon.

"I was always taught by North to keep on believing, especially ones taught to children," said Jack. "So I think I'll keep my head up in case something does unfold.

Did Jack really want to believe in something like that? Xander spoke as if it was fact, not because he believed in things the same way Jack did.

The conversation was broken when the crowd began cheering louder than ever. They then started to chant for the Ravenclaw team.

"What just happened?" asked Jack.

"Well by the looks of it, Ravenclaw has won," answered Merida. They could see Elsa flying around with a golden object in her hand, the Snitch. Anna was screaming loudly in front of Jack.

* * *

Rapunzel woke in the middle of the night from Anna's voice. The entire year was getting prepared for Astronomy now that Professor Lunar had returned to Hogwarts.

The only student that was already awake before Anna's excitement was Ursa Michel, who loved studying the sky before joining Hogwarts. Ursa was from Greece, where light pollution was less compared to other countries where electricity was used frequently.

Rapunzel decided to leave Pascal. Usually she'd take Pascal with her, but she figured he'd rather have sleep than spending time with her in another class.

The class was interesting to some students, Rapunzel included because of her ambition of seeing floating lights that appeared once a year at Corona. Professor Lunar was short and had a round head; he resembled Mansnoozie a little, but the difference was that he only had strands of hair from the very tip of his head. Another obvious difference was that Lunar wasn't made of sand, and he wore puffy clothing.

When class ended, Professor Lunar went to wake up a few students who had dozed off.

Rapunzel got back to her common room and noticed that Pascal was missing.

"What's wrong?" asked Anna, seeing Rapunzel distressed and looking around every inch of the room.

"I can't find him. Pascal, he's missing," said Rapunzel, looking behind the cupboards.

"Hey, it's okay. I know someone who can help. In the meantime, you should get some sleep," said Anna.

Anna took Rapunzel to the common room and began whispering out loud. "Mavis, are you there?" A bat emerged from the ceiling and startled Rapunzel.

The bat transformed into a girl Rapunzel recognised. Mavis was usually quiet during class. She had the palest skin and darkest lips like a gothic person. The only thing that showed Rapunzel otherwise was Mavis' lovely smile.

"What do you need, Anna?"

"I'm sure you've met Rapunzel during class, right? Except for Flying since you can't be out in the sun," said Anna.

 _An Animagus is a person who has the ability to transform into another animal._

"You're an Animagus," said Rapunzel.

"That's right! My dad taught me a long time ago. We're vampires to be precise," said Mavis.

Rapunzel was surprised that this girl standing before her was a vampire. She was very open about it too. Whenever Rapunzel's mother told her about the cruel world, she'd mention vampires at least once. It would appear that her mother was wrong about them after all.

"Well, Rapunzel's chameleon is not in the dormitory, so is it okay that you look for him?" asked Anna.

"Sure, there's literally nothing left to do since everyone is asleep at this time." Mavis' form shrunk and the bat flew outside the common room.

"When does she sleep? Does she drink… you know?" asked Rapunzel.

"She sleeps immediately after classes. That's probably why you never see her during free time. Mavis _does_ drink human blood, but only from donors. Drinking without permission is against the rules for vampires. Did you know that she's around one hundred-years-old? Chronologically of course, but she's biologically close to our age." The two stared at the window. The moon was full and glowing with a lot of vibrancy. "As for you, Rapunzel, it's extremely late and it would be careless to not go to sleep now."

Rapunzel thought about the diversity of the school, having vampires, princesses, and Vikings. She then realised that there would've been more people if magic worked all over the world, but that wouldn't be right since there would be other schools for them to spare the travel. The rumour of students getting kidnapped by the Dark Weapon because they wanted their enemies contained in one area was crazy. John and Jack were not from Europe, so that rumour was false.

"Dark Weapon…" Rapunzel laughed quietly. "What a joke."

* * *

Merida opened her eyes when morning arrived. She was dreadful; she didn't sleep much after Astronomy. Whenever Merida was woken up—by her mother or the strange noises—in the middle of the night, getting back to sleep would almost be impossible.

"You look… fine, Merida," said Hiccup, unsure of how to word it out.

"Oh shut it will you," said Merida, hiding her face in her arms.

"To think the school would have a potion to solve sleep deprivation," said Jack.

"There _is_ a potion like that, but the time it takes to create it isn't worth it for today. Even getting a premade potion from Black won't be possible. Och, he's like a child who doesn't share food!"

Jack thought about Lily's collection. According to North, he left rumours of ancient scrolls scattered around the different towers of Hogwarts, which would keep the twins away from the dungeons. So if Lily's potions were not protected with North's spells, then nabbing one potion for Merida wouldn't be a hassle. The issue was he didn't know which potion was going to help Merida. He also didn't want to recreate the Halloween hailstorm last month.

"I wish I could help, Merida. But rules are rules." Jack held both his hands up to show there was nothing he could do.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Merida.

"It's been a while now, so I assume Lily might've cooked up a potion that would help you, but that would require me stealing," said Jack.

"No thanks, Jack. I'd rather serve detention than let some kind of potion explode in my gut when I drink it."

Merida was now at Defence Against the Dark Arts and she could not keep her eyes open. There were no voices to keep her awake since Professor Mansnoozie did not speak; instead, he used the Dreamsand as if the whole class was playing a game of charades.

The class took out their wands and began practicing the hand motion for a spell Merida couldn't remember.

"Did princess still not get enough beauty sleep?" whispered Jack.

"Very funny, Jack. Tease me about my lack of sleep again and I'll lock you in a room where nobody will find you." Merida threatened.

Merida continued waving her wand slowly as her eyes grew heavy. When she waved harder, a spark erupted from her wand, setting the table on fire.

Merida was wide awake as she and Jack backed away from the table. She heard a mixture of laughing, screaming, and muttering as Mansnoozie used a spell to extinguish the flames.

When class finished, Merida avoided everyone's eyes. The walk to exit the classroom felt like a walk of shame as she figured that everyone would've been staring at her. But in reality, most forgot she existed.

Merida felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned, expecting someone like Dagur to mock her. It was Mansnoozie and he stood significantly shorter than Merida; it was the first time she stood right in front of him.

Professor Mansnoozie created a set of images and Merida understood what he meant.

Moon. Tower. Clock. A barrage of letter Zs. Mansnoozie knew that Merida didn't have enough sleep because of Astronomy.

"Yes, that's true." Merida said, lowering her head as if she suspected a punishment.

Sand. Head. Sleep. Thumbs up. Mansnoozie's sand was something that could make her sleep easier, or at least that's what she thought he meant.

The professor floated to his desk and took out a pouch and filled it with his Dreamsand. The sand coming from his hands were pretty, sparkling at the right angle. He handed the bag to Merida but she didn't know if she understood his message correctly.

"For me?" Mansnoozie nodded and she took it from his tiny hands.

"Thank you, Professor." Mansnoozie conjured a fedora on his head and lifted it as a way of saying 'you're welcome'.


	12. The Others

The array of jars were neatly sorted in the correct order, red on the left all the way to violet on the right. The jars contained Anna's Dusk Powder, the magical essence that turned out to be useless in the school's curriculum. Sitting in perfect slots at the top area of the case, the Dusk Crystals glowed, one for each of the seven colours.

Anna was keeping herself busy by taking out each of the crystals and inspecting them closely. What bothered Anna all day was Elsa. Anna thought things would have been different when she finally went to Hogwarts with her older sister, but she thought wrong. Anna wanted to believe things would've worked out between them, but the facts were against her.

" _You can help me with my History of Magic homework."_

" _Sorry, Anna. I'm very busy with… something Gobber asked me to do. After that is Potions homework. You remember how nasty Professor Black can be if you don't submit work on time. Goodbye, Anna."_

When Elsa left her, Anna had no choice but to return to her dormitory. She needed to drown her thoughts by finding something else to do. Now here Anna was, trying to preoccupy herself because her sister didn't want to spend time with her.

Mavis and Rapunzel were with her too, having their own conversation. Rapunzel noticed Anna trying to isolate herself from the two when they tried to speak with her. Maybe Mavis would've been able to engage a discussion with her better than Rapunzel.

"Hey Anna, do you know why the school made us buy this book? We haven't used them yet." Anna turned and quickly closed her case containing the Dusk. She saw that it was Mavis who spoke to her before getting ready for bed. Being a vampire, she was nocturnal and couldn't be exposed to sunlight. In fact, it was well past Mavis' bedtime.

"I don't know, Mavis. Elsa had to buy the same book as well. So maybe they wanted the entire school to buy it for recreational purposes." Anna answered.

"I don't see how reading a children's book is recreational. I'm over a hundred-years old," said Mavis, skimming through the book about Nightlight. "Let's hope that the next 'recreational book' they make us buy includes a murderer who raises an army of the undead."

Anna realised that she was still holding onto the Red Dusk Crystal. Red ones exhibited the powers of fire. Activating a crystal this size would've set the room in an inferno.

"What's that you have there, Anna? A Dusk Crystal? Can I hold it?" asked Mavis, sitting next to Anna to take a closer look at the gem.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you," said Anna.

"It'll be fine, Anna. It's not like I'm careless with these things. We have magical trinkets back home in Transylvania," said Mavis.

Anna remained silent and Mavis ended up begging, giving Anna the most downcast expression that Anna couldn't say no to.

"Mavis, please! Don't give me that look." Mavis then opened the suitcase and took out a Green Dusk Crystal without Anna's permission.

Feeling like a prankster, Mavis pretended that the crystal was slipping from her hands.

"Mavis! Please! Give that back gently!" Anna tried to take the crystal back after packing the red one away. Mavis moved both her hands, one to hold Anna, and the other to keep the crystal away from Anna's reach.

When Anna finally got her hands on the crystal, they were now having a game of tug-o-war with the gem.

"Guys!" yelled from across the room. Rapunzel was watching the entire commotion and even Pascal was frightened by Rapunzel's sudden outburst.

Mavis released her grip from the crystal, causing Anna to fall back and drop the gem. The Dusk Crystal fell out of the window, making the three Ravenclaws peek outside to see the damage.

"This is bad. A fall from the tower will definitely activate the Dusk Crystal," said Anna, packing away her case of Dusk under her bed.

There was an explosion heard and they could see a crowd of people gathering around a victim.

"Sorry!" yelled Anna. Mavis grabbed Anna and pushed her away from the window.

"What are you doing? We don't want people knowing that we were the cause of that."

The three peeked through the window and saw the crowd growing larger, luckily none looked at them. The victim of the Dusk Crystal was trapped in a pile of growing vines. From this view, it appeared like that person was wearing a large green dress.

A figure fell in front of them, suspended in ropes and dangling like a puppet; he was stuck.

"Flynn?" asked Anna.

"Hey guys—" The rope gave up, causing Flynn to fall further down. The girls gasped but saw that the rope stopped and he was now closer to the ground. The rope then ripped from above and Flynn fell onto a bush, breaking his fall.

"Well that could've been worse." Rapunzel said.

* * *

MacGuffin was walking in the Middle Courtyard with Macintosh and Dingwall, but Macintosh was more like roaming the courtyards. They were talking about the progress of their families.

"So tell me, MacGuffin. How much does your family earn?" asked Macintosh.

"Ourfathersworktogetherinthesamejob. Sotheymightearnthesame," said MacGuffin, not controlling the pace of his talking.

Macintosh laughed and lightly punched Dingwall on the shoulder. "I don't even know a word he's saying." Dingwall did not react.

A fiery bush walked towards them, most likely heading to the library or to the group of students studying against the wall. The freezing wind was sending streams of the fire in the air, which caught the attention of the Hufflepuffs. That burning bush was Merida.

"Well aren't _you_ looking wonderful today, Princess." Macintosh tried to court her once again, but more forceful than Snotlout wooing Astrid.

Merida rolled her eyes and walked faster to avoid them, passing through them as if they were worth nothing, but Macintosh changed his direction and trotted towards the Princess of Dunbroch. He did not take no for an answer lightly. He whistled to get her attention and she stopped. Everyone in the courtyard heard his whistle.

"If you're not gone when I turn around, I'll show you why Dunbroch rules your clan." Merida threatened. MacGuffin grabbed Macintosh's shoulder and shook his head. Dingwall was laughing at Macintosh's face, almost hesitating to face Merida's wrath.

"Don't," was the only thing that escaped MacGuffin's mouth. It was a simple word he wanted to use for Macintosh to understand. Macintosh scoffed and waved MacGuffin's hand off of his shoulder. MacGuffin was displeased, but he wouldn't result to violence.

MacGuffin grabbed Dingwall and walked off. If he was leaving this time, Dingwall had to go with him or else Merida would've also blamed him too.

Merida saw John a few metres away from her. He was watching the whole thing with the shy Gryffindor, but Merida didn't focus on John in particular. She squinted and saw from his glasses. She saw Macintosh still standing behind her. She then saw MacGuffin and Dingwall making their way inside the castle. "At least two of the three are smart," thought Merida.

There was a flash of green and the sound of glass hitting on glass, a somewhat pleasant noise. Merida turned and saw Macintosh's legs caught in vines, erupting from the ground and almost strangling his waist.

"Get this thing off of me!" yelled Macintosh.

The vines were spreading across the ground, making students back away otherwise they'd get caught like Macintosh. When the vines stopped, Macintosh wasn't in any sort of danger, just trapped.

People began to laugh at Macintosh as flowers began to grow around the vines, a truly refreshing spectacle for Merida.

"MacGuffin! Dingwall! Help me!" ordered Macintosh. MacGuffin was smiling while walking off with Dingwall.

There was a fire nearby. The grass somehow caught on fire while students began extinguishing the unruly flames. Hiccup, Jack, and Kristoff were some of the people helping. The path of the fire would eventually end up burning up the vines, and then Macintosh. This time, MacGuffin had to help.

* * *

Flynn made a run from the librarian. He managed to steal a book from the Restricted Section and escape using the windows. The twins were on the roof helping him get back up using ropes. Not the Thorston Twins from Berk, these twins were the Stabbington Brothers who helped Dagur take on Jack and Xander.

Flynn opened the book and it presented some spells that would've helped him steal more valuables. The book was brown and the cover was leathery, perhaps older than most of the books in the library.

Bryan gave them each broomsticks and they flew to the top of Ravenclaw Tower. Flynn landed first and was taking in the view, where he could see the entire lake, Hogsmeade, parts of the forest, and the mountains that was separated from the large field.

The first page of the book depicted a spell used for scaling down steep cliffs and buildings. That was the first spell they wanted to test in order to get down from the Ravenclaw Tower.

"Okay, Rider, you're first," said Bryan.

"Me? Wait, wha—I can't believe after everything I went through, you guys don't trust me."

The twins were watching Flynn with no sympathy. They glared at him as a way of intimidation.

"Ouch." Flynn added. He muttered the incantation from the book and prepared to test it for real.

"Ligatusium." Ropes shot out of Flynn's wand and it wrapped around his waist. The other end of the rope attached itself to the tower, but only about two metres in length.

"You're gonna get down or are we going to have to push you?" asked Bryan.

"Relax, relax. I'm going." Flynn climbed down and was holding onto the edge of the tower. It was hard because the roof was a cone shape, creating a slope that would make it hard for him to climb back up.

Flynn grabbed onto the rope and prayed that it wouldn't snap. The rope then began extending, slowly bringing him lower.

"Haha! With this book, we could—" Bryan was searching around and then looked at Bryce to see if he had the book.

"Sorry, fellas. The Book of Thieves is mine."

"Rider!" yelled Bryan, taking out a knife to cut Flynn's rope.

A ball of fire whizzed past the twins, setting the broomsticks on fire. The twins tried to extinguish it but they knew no spells that could do the job. They were now truly stuck, and the rope Flynn was using was their only way down.

"Um, guys?" The twins looked down and saw that Flynn's rope was in flames by the ball of fire.

The rope ripped and Bryce grabbed the rope, getting dragged down in the process. Bryan grabbed Bryce and pulled his Ravenclaw brother back up. The burning was snuffed out in Bryce's hands; his thick palms made him feel no pain.

Flynn's rope didn't lower him any further and he realised the twins were pulling the rope back up. He was tangled by the rope because of the panic when the rope ripped. When he was back up, Bryce yanked the book off of Flynn's grip and they dropped him back down.

The rope hooked onto a part of the roof, stopping Flynn from falling.

"Flynn?" called a soft voice. He saw that he was at the window of the Ravenclaw dormitories. There was Anna, Rapunzel, and some girl he didn't recognise.

"Hey guys—" The twins didn't care about Flynn and unhooked the rope to see if it was long enough for them to use.

Flynn was screaming and was about to hit the ground, but the rope came to an end. The twins' overestimation of the rope's length saved his life. Ripping, the rope snapped and Flynn fell down the remaining ten metres, landing on a bush to break his fall.

Flynn climbed out of the prickly branches and came face to face with the librarian, Mr Qwerty. The librarian was not pleased and transformed into a giant caterpillar. The caterpillar towered Flynn and gave him the most angered set of eyes.

"Oh c'mon, everyone said you'd turn into a caterpillar! Why are you a giant caterpillar!" yelled Flynn. His day had turned south after stealing the book.

* * *

Bryan and Bryce watched Flynn land into a bush. Mr Qwerty then dragged him in his Animagus form, so the twins waited until it was safe to head down.

Since Flynn was from Corona like they were, they always pulled these kinds of stunts to steal. After their schemes, they'd split their loot and parted ways. Bryan and Bryce needed it to survive and they assumed that it was the same situation for Flynn too. Whenever their plans failed, it was Flynn who got caught, giving him a reputation all over Corona.

"Remember the spell, Bryce?" asked Bryan. Bryce nodded in response and conjured a new piece of rope while holding onto the Book of Thieves. The only times Bryce spoke, was only for saying incantations. This was demonstrated during the face-off between Dagur and Jack.

Bryan attempted to create the rope too because he grew impatient of waiting for his brother to get down before him. "Ligatusiam." The rope attached itself around Bryan's ankle and dragged him down.

Bryce saw his brother falling and grabbed his hand. Bryan's life now depended on his brother's grip. He then tried to create another set of ropes for safety. "Ligitusiam." The ropes wrapped around Bryce and now they were all tangled up, dropping the Book of Thieves from the struggle. His attempt to catch the book knocked it away to the other side of the courtyard nearby.

* * *

"I don't get it anymore. How are we supposed to remember all these dates?" asked Astrid. She, Heather, and the Thorston Twins were studying what they learnt in History of Magic.

"How should we know? We're nuts, remember?" said Ruffnut.

"Back at you, Sis." Tuffnut and Ruffnut head-butted each other, their way of doing high-fives. They forgot that they didn't wear Viking helmets at Hogwarts, and ended up knocking each other out.

Behind the wall Astrid and Heather leaned against, Lily was helping John with the same subject. Lily heard from the other side that they were still struggling, so she decided to help.

"Are you fine on your own?" asked Lily.

"Sure, I think so. I might just head to the dungeons after this." John pretended to be studying harder without Lily, but she didn't leave yet. He knew what kept her back.

"Too shy?" asked John. Lily nodded.

"Just talk to them. That's usually the hardest part. After that, you'll dominate the conversation."

Lily took a deep breath and poked her head out of the window, where she could see the top of their heads. The seat she was on granted her height.

"Um, excuse me? Can I help?" Astrid and Heather looked and were surprised to be seeing the shy Gryffindor talking to them.

"That's if you know what we just learnt in History of Magic," said Astrid.

"I do."

Help from Lily somehow made things easier to remember. Astrid and Heather were now making an effort to memorise the important dates Professor Toothiana gave.

"I really can't be bothered learning about these dates. Why can't we learn about Year X?" asked Astrid.

"Why _are_ you so interested about Year X?" asked Heather. Astrid and Heather had turned around so that they were facing Lily and the wall.

"Fine, I'll tell only you two. You two best keep this to yourselves." Before Astrid continued, they heard an unnatural high-pitched sound coming from Lily's side. "Someone else with you?" asked Astrid.

Lily was tensing up; if Astrid knew John was there then she might not share the secret. It was the first time Lily felt like she was part of something. Lily slowly pushed John away with her leg and he was on the ground, confused to why she had done that.

"Nothing. I just knocked some books over. If you'd excuse me," said Lily. She moved back to her seat and whispered to John.

"Stay quiet, please." John nodded and Lily turned and poked back out of the arch window.

Astrid was suspicious but continued anyway. "Year X was the largest war to date. I heard that there were dragons involved too. My ancestors were part of the war and I want to know the details of what happened to them."

"But what are the chances of your ancestors being mentioned in the story? They were just part of the war," said Heather.

"The Hofferson family were famous for their strength and bravery. After the war my grandfather was defeated and it brought shame to my family. When I find out who caused his demise, I'll hunt them down and regain honour to the Hofferson family."

"We'll make sure to ask Professor Toothiana then, Astrid," said Heather.

"Sorry, I think I want to go…" Lily was slowly backing into the window until Astrid nodded, almost as if Lily felt that she needed their permission.

John was waiting while lying low, he quietly packed his things and for some reason appeared very cheery when they left.

"So… why are you so happy? If you don't mind me asking." Lily asked. She would never ask people questions, but in this situation, having a successful conversation with Astrid and Heather made her feel confident.

"Oh, it's 'cause I heard a secret spilled out," said John.

"Sorry, I don't think I could tell you any of my secrets."

"I can live with that. Just don't tell people about my Dusk Weapon, all right?" Lily nodded and they saw a fight happening when they walked through the courtyard. Merida was yelling a threat to Macintosh and then she stared at John. John was confused and saw MacGuffin and Dingwall leave. John saw something green land on the ground near Macintosh. They heard a loud ring after a flash of green appeared in the middle of the courtyard.

* * *

Hiccup, Fishlegs, Jack, and Kristoff were practicing magic at the courtyard with a mentor. Near them, Astrid, the twins, and Heather were studying History of Magic with Lily helping them out.

"Okay, first, you have to focus on the target and say the incantation _properly_." Their mentor was Isabella Tailfire, a Slytherin in their year who seemed to have a passion for fire-based magic.

"So you weren't wondering why we wanted to practice the Fire-Making Charm?" asked Hiccup.

"I didn't have to ask. Everyone has a motive, which is easily seen. You want to learn to defend yourselves from Dagur, right?"

"I guess you're right," said Jack. Isabella had told them that Jack wasn't doing well compared to the others. He was better with cold spells, which she despised because the cold had ruined her perfect days, mainly the mornings.

"Winter is coming soon," said Isabella, rubbing her arms. "You guys might not see me outside a lot since it'll be warmer indoors."

A whistle broke through the cool air and everyone turned to see what it was. They saw Merida yelling at Macintosh, threatening him before his friends ditched him.

Hiccup continued to wave his wand and whispered the incantation. If he wanted to make his father proud, he had to succeed in his mother's footsteps. Hiccup looked behind to see if Astrid noticed the commotion; she was looking past him with Heather, almost glaring. Hiccup then wondered if they were looking at _him_ instead, thinking that _he_ was the one who whistled at them. A flash of green appeared and the loud noise broke Hiccup's attention. The Fire-Making Spell shot from Hiccup's wand because of the panic, stronger than his previous attempts. The aim sent the spell across the grass, burning and spreading everywhere before flying over the castle.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" Hiccup was stomping on the ground with his friends. Isabella was complimenting the strength of Hiccup's Fire-Making Spell and began cheering for the fire to grow larger.

Hiccup saw a crowd gathering nearby, not to the flames, to Macintosh who apparently got trapped by mysterious vines that grew out of nowhere. The people laughed at him, so that was good for Hiccup since not a lot of people saw who caused the fire on the other side of the courtyard.

"What happened?!" Astrid and Heather were helping out with getting rid of the fire. They saw Snotlout nearby who wasn't helping.

"Snotlout!" called Heather. He turned and saw that they needed help, but he didn't want to miss out on the fun with Macintosh.

"Sorry, I'd rather watch this than do _that_." Snotlout stated.

"No, I mean you butt is on fire!" yelled Heather. Snotlout looked down and began screaming and running around the courtyard.

"You guys go and help him. We've got this!" ordered Hiccup. Heather and Astrid nodded and left to try and help Snotlout. They were actually surprised to have heard the order come from Hiccup.

* * *

Hans and Elsa had an errand to complete before they could have free time. Gobber had requested some Billywigs to teach to his students in Care of Magical Creatures. They had returned from Hogsmeade with a box of these creatures.

Billywigs were native in Australia. These creatures were usually too fast to be seen by many people, especially Muggles. They were small and blue with wings on their heads. It wasn't safe because these creatures had stingers, which caused giddiness and temporary levitation. What made them useful were their stingers, which were useful for potions. The method of Professor Black gaining their stingers after Gobber was done with them was unknown.

"You got this?" asked Hans. He was carrying one side while Elsa held the other.

"Sure," replied Elsa.

The two made their way across the Middle Courtyard and saw a large crowd, some laughing at a student, and some extinguishing flames.

"Should we help them?" asked Elsa.

"We can't let go of the—" Hans was cut off when a book fell on his head, dropping the box of tiny blue creatures that were now invading the sky.

Elsa looked at the book that fell on Hans' head. "Book of Thieves?" Elsa looked up and saw two students on Ravenclaw Tower, tangled in ropes and obviously stuck. Before Elsa could point that out, Hans called out for her.

"Elsa! The Billywigs!" The insects gathered into a group and swooped down to their first victim. Hans used a spell and the Billywigs froze in the air. He then waved his wand and they were all forced back into the box.

Elsa ran to the victim and grabbed him. He was flying and she couldn't hold him down on her own. Hans helped Elsa by grabbing her feet. He recognised the victim because of the voice and of his reputation of invading dragon islands, Dagur.

"What's happening?! Get me down now!" boomed Dagur. Elsa was now fighting that small urge to let him go because of that attitude. Nod and MK arrived from the crowd and helped them keep Dagur on the ground. He had to be taken to the hospital wing or else he would continue flying, and fall to his death when the stings wore off.

* * *

Xander and Yang stood inside the corridors that surrounded the courtyard. Too many things were happening all at once. Snotlout was running around in flames with two girls chasing him. A crowd was laughing at Macintosh who got trapped in vines. Jack and his friends were extinguishing a spreading flame. Flynn was getting dragged away by Mr Qwerty who was in his giant caterpillar form. And finally, Dagur was floating with students holding him down.

"How did…?" Yang was still confused with how the vines appeared.

"The ringing sound. I am guessing that it was caused by a Green Dusk Crystal," said Xander.

"Okay, but where did it co—" Yang stopped midway and looked up. She saw people peeking from Ravenclaw Tower. "The Princess of Arendelle owns Dusk and is a Ravenclaw."

"But that is not all. Look higher," requested Xander. Yang followed his instructions and saw two people tied up by ropes. Yang then began laughing out loud.

"What are you doing?" asked Xander. Yang was on the floor, taking out a quill with ink.

"I'm recording the exact time and date so I won't forget about this moment." Yang then was having trouble writing. "Are you kidding me right now?! Why can't this school at least give us pencils?"

"You should go to the art club. Plenty of pencils in there—but no pens unfortunately." Xander suggested.

Yang folded up the parchment she wrote on after finishing her task. She got back up and observed with Xander again.

"Well we sure are pretty unlucky to be born on the same year as these people. Am I right or am I right?" Yang was bumping Xander with her elbow. Even though Xander didn't react to her jokes, she still acted like herself around him.

Lily and John walked past the two, making their way to the dungeons.

"You did a brief observation on that girl with the orb, did you not?" asked Xander.

"Yep, it told me that she's pretty and has a lot of potential," answered Yang in a cheerful tone.

"I was talking about her personal life."

"Yeah, turns out that she's extremely shy and skilled with potions," said Yang.

"You did not use the orb."

"I didn't use the orb," admitted Yang. "I happen to sit with her for Transfiguration and History of Magic. She believes that the Dark Weapon exists."

"Well then, I guess not everyone is ignorant. I think I have an idea of who might be able to help us," said Xander.

"Oh my gosh! I can see it. The boy who's making a Dusk Weapon and the girl who knows how to create a lot of potions, all working with us."

They followed the two after professors came outside to help the students.


	13. The Blue Fortune

"Over there, Flynn," requested Professor Toothiana. She was walking around in the West Tower with Flynn, who was sentenced to detention for stealing a book from the library yesterday. The West Tower was located near Toothiana's office, where all files and books were neatly sorted and even colour coded.

Flynn carefully placed a new pile of tomes into a shelf. He noticed the lack of dust on the surfaces and in the air. Before cleaning out the West Tower, Flynn had to do the same job but in Toothiana's office.

"So why are you the only professor to call me by my first name?" asked Flynn. Toothiana was sorting out books on the other side of the room.

"Most professors are tired of the 'second name' act. I guess I'm one of the first to give in. It's honestly tiring to call you Mr Rider. Although, my records tell me that you changed your name when you were little. Care to tell me a little bit about that, Mr Fitzherbert?"

Flynn paused and looked back at her; she wasn't looking at him and was still arranging the books.

"I hated my name and wanted to change it to something cooler. There's nothing else to add to that," said Flynn.

Toothiana now got Flynn to compile sheets of parchments. She gave him the parchments in order while all he had to do was keep them neatly in a pile. His only concern was the risk of getting paper cuts.

"Want to know more about this tower?" asked Toothiana.

"I guess." There wasn't anything better to do.

"The West Tower used to be an owlery, where students were able to keep their owls and send letters to their families. Unfortunately during that war on Year X, we received information that the Dark Weapon intercepted messages. Therefore, by not using owls anymore, the Dark Weapon will never find out where certain students live. Now, the West Tower is used for—well, extra storage. We still use owls at the Hogsmeade Post Office, but the amounts are very limited. We use a spell to turn the letters into paper aeroplanes instead, to both make the letters harder to find and to make the deliver time quicker."

Flynn's attention drifted away in the middle of Toothiana's explanation. All he thought about was the Dark Weapon.

"Why are we still afraid if they don't exist anymore? Why isn't wizardkind using owls again?" asked Flynn.

"That's the way the world works, Flynn. If a colony of ants build a nest near the shoreline of a beach, they will live happily in peace until the waves hit. After that, they will migrate with the rest of the colony. Answer this question, Flynn. If you were the queen ant of the colony, would you order them to move back to the shoreline?"

The answer was plagued all over the air for Flynn to not answer.

"We're just hoping that the next wave isn't as big to reach us again." Toothiana smiled and handed him a letter. "Give the ants a reason to fear, and they'll move."

"What's this?" Flynn flipped the envelope but it was blank. Whoever made this letter was obviously in a rush. The folds were all creased.

"Your friend gave it to me, telling me 'Do not give this to Flynn before he finishes what he has to do for detention'. Whatever you plan to do, don't get yourself into any kind of danger." The two left the West Tower and Flynn opened the letter on his way back to the common room.

 _To Flynn_

 _Congratulations on finishing detention with my Head of House.  
_ _I hope you haven't forgotten about the 'bet' we made.  
_ _You will do it right? I mean, you said that it was going to lead you to wealth.  
_ _I really can't wait to be bowing down to you when you're richer than me.  
_ _I'm kidding. Have fun! Tread carefully._

 _Anna_

Flynn hid the letter in his pocket when he got to his dormitory. The Slytherin common room was hidden behind a wall of stone bricks, only requiring a password to enter. The rooms were dimly lit with an ambient sound of the Black Lake, directly on the other side of the common room walls.

It was smart of Anna to have not mentioned the bet in details. He concluded that Professor Toothiana read the letter before passing it on to him. Why did she warn him to stay safe? The poorly folded letter could've also been a sign that it was already opened before getting resealed. Perhaps Flynn's criminal life at Corona made him suspicious and always overthinking.

* * *

Jack was on the broomstick belonging to one of the Beaters of Gryffindor. He was given permission from Nod to have a bit of a fly around the Quidditch pitch. Merida was also with him, challenging him in the various aspects of flying such as speed. Although, it was proven to be pointless because the speed was dependant on the broomstick, which one of them didn't own yet.

They both had Flying before, which was why they were so motivated to train their flying skills more after that class. Without Frondman, they were able to perform the most daring tricks, which appealed to the students watching from the seats.

"So you're considering joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year?" asked Merida, slowing down to stay at an audible distance with Jack.

"Yeah, Nod will be able to teach me and if you get in, we'll be able to go against each other."

"Okay, but what position?"

"I'm thinking either Chaser or Seeker, but Nod is already a Seeker, so I'll see if there's an opening for being a Chaser," answered Jack.

Jack and Merida were towering above the entire pitch. Jack watched the Black Lake when he noticed something in the waters. The rainbow flashes that occurred on the surface ceased while Jack noticed strange creatures flying around in the sky. Jack didn't question the lights nor did he think about the flying creatures, even if they were alien to the wizarding world. It was time for Jack to accept that everything didn't need an explanation in this world.

Nod approached them and told them that it was time for the Gryffindor Quidditch team to have their practice. Their match against Hufflepuff was after the winter break, but not making the most of their time would heavily affect their performance.

"So… if you're planning to send a letter to your family at North America, I suggest you do it now since it takes a while for a letter to get from here to there." Merida suggested. They were handing the broomsticks back to their original owners before finding a seat to watch the practice.

"I will, don't worry. Doesn't matter if it gets there late because I'm going back there for Christmas anyway," said Jack.

Merida began laughing; the sound of laughter from someone like Merida was pleasant to hear, almost like an accomplishment. The problem was: Why was she laughing?

"Did I say something funny?" asked Jack. Merida stopped and apologised.

"It's just, I thought about what I was going to go through _if_ I returned home. I'd have to have those lectures and live under daft rules, all of them leading to not being able to have fun. It's funny how this boarding school that teaches magic has more reasonable rules compared to home," said Merida.

"Don't you miss your parents?"

"Course I do. But it'll only be my mum at home. Dad's normally further up north in Scotland and Maudie's here in the infirmary. I'll write mum a letter to say that I'm fine and that I decided to spend time with my friends."

"What are students meant to do when they stay at Hogwarts?"

"Hmm, what was it I was just thinking of? When my mum stayed on her first year with Dad, the professors made it lively and feeling like it was 'home'," said Merida.

"The professors as in the same ones?" asked Jack.

"Not all, Jack. Professor Gobber is one I know that wasn't there when my parents went. He might've been back at Berk with Hiccup's dad. Gobber doesn't have magic, just so you know."

"He's a Squib?"

"Aye." The weather became colder and Merida tucked her hands in her sleeves.

"How does he use magic when he teaches Care of Magical Creatures?"

"He doesn't. He teaches the students how to use magic against creatures, but he has 'different' methods of handling his creatures."

* * *

Just outside of the Quidditch pitch, in the giant open field, two students were casting spells of vicious flames. Hiccup was practicing his Fire-Making Spell with Isabella Tailfire, trying to cast the same one that caused the accident at the Transfiguration Courtyard yesterday.

"Hiccup, it might be useless to constantly practice that same spell. I know more spells relating to fire you know," said Tailfire. She preferred going by her last name because of a particular word.

"I'm sure you'll be able to teach it to me. But I want to do this spell right first." Hiccup said. He stopped casting the spell and focussed solely on the hand movement.

"And it _is_ right. It's just the power compared to yesterday's is lacking." Tailfire stretched and watched the sun; dusk was coming in a few hours. "I feel as if you're trying to achieve something else other than powerful magic, Hiccup. You're not practicing the hand movements, are you?"

Hiccup stopped waving his wrist and faced Tailfire, smiling as if she was right. "You got me."

"You're trying to cast nonverbal magic, like Xander." Tailfire was silent. She held a glass jar that glowed blue close to her.

Tailfire ended up convincing Hiccup to learn a new spell. The more he learns, the more he might discover how to become a natural. The spell Hiccup was practicing now was the spell to create bluebell flames, also known as cold fire.

Tailfire conjured the first flame in the air. The ball of fire danced as she held it in her hands, letting Hiccup touch it. The flare was comforting to Hiccup, he felt at ease as it illuminated his hands.

"So how is this spell going to help me defend against people like Dagur?" asked Hiccup, continuously waving his wand while chanting out the incantation Tailfire told him.

"It won't burn the victim if that's what you were hoping. But it will burn and spread on fabrics such as clothing. I'm sure people like Dagur don't plan on sticking around when their clothes catch fire. What's even better about this spell is that it's waterproof, so he'll have no choice but to run around like some crazy person while his 'friends' kick the life out of him."

The success rate for Hiccup grew as he practiced more. He was proud and wanted to show what he learnt to his friends.

"I hope I'm not sounding impatient, but did you manage to talk to Xander?" asked Hiccup.

"Unfortunately, no. Even though I'm in Slytherin with him, he's unapproachable during class and I can't seem to find him outside of classes. I've also searched for the arrogant Hufflepuff but there's no sign of her either," answered Tailfire.

Before this practice session was arranged, Hiccup had requested Tailfire to ask Xander if he would've wanted to teach Hiccup. His knowledge of nonverbal magic might've been of use to Hiccup in the future.

"That leaves a big question: Where is Xander during the breaks?" asked Tailfire. A question that everyone wanted answered.

"So how are you skilled with fire-based magic? If you don't mind." Hiccup asked.

"I was born in England. Does that sum things up?" asked Tailfire. Hiccup remained silent.

"England is always cold… most of the time. Also, magic is accessible in England, so that's how I'm ahead of most students with fire-based magic."

"Well where I'm from, it's always cold. I think Hogwarts is quite warm compared to Berk," said Hiccup.

"Oh, I forgot you're from that dragon island. I'm actually not sure if I'd rather sacrifice perfect weather for fire breathing creatures," said Tailfire, tightening her grip on the glowing blue jar again.

"I'm sure I'll manage without the dragons if I chose to live at England," joked Hiccup, but she didn't know that he was afraid of them yet.

"Well, I think we can call it a successful day today because it's getting real cold now. I really hope you succeed with that spell you learnt today. I look forward to be seeing your progress." Tailfire left after Hiccup thanked her. Hiccup took a closer look at the jar she held. It was a bluebell flame that was contained, keeping her warm all the time.

* * *

The sun was bright, but the air was frigid. Flynn was ready to head into the Forbidden Forest alone so he'd gain all the fortune for himself. Upon making the first few steps into the forest, the light was fading and it felt like as if it was already nighttime.

There was something that caught Flynn's attention, overpowering the sounds of snapping branches and chirping birds. The sight of blue glowed nearby. Flynn followed it but he noticed that the blue was fading in every direction he approached.

Flynn took another step but his foot got caught in a large tree root, causing him to fall on the ground. Flynn's vision was fuzzy because he started seeing doubles. On his attempt to get back up, he slipped again back to where he was. He was really confused with his luck today. Was this his fate? To never succeed at all? Why was Flynn trying so hard?

Flynn stayed on the ground as the blue disappeared from his sight. He lost the energy to get back up. He felt as if he belonged with the Slytherins, as selfish and cruel like Dagur. But he didn't feel like one of them. Being sorted into Slytherin _did_ catch him off guard; he wanted to be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff. He also wanted to be someone people would admire, or someone who was caring. This was why he changed his name.

Flynn remembered why he was like this, why he was always robbing from markets or from libraries. Flynn wanted to be rich so he could provide for the people at the orphanage, who all sacrificed everything for him to get to this school. So far, so good. The orphans looked up to Flynn as the older brother; he was the only one to be a wizard.

The motivation returned now that Flynn remembered whom he was doing this for. The short moment of feeling like a failure ended. He now broke things into simpler pieces, which was the only thing he had to do right at this point. Step one was getting up. He ignored the forest, the absent wisp, and the dangers he might run into.

Flynn clawed into the dirt and stood back up. The wisp was gone, but all he thought about was where he last saw it. Flynn ran as fast as he could and trusted his gut to where the wisp might have gone.

The blue glow came into view. Flynn was pleased with his new method as he turned to every direction to where he saw the wisp. The blue became intense when he got closer, but he had ignored the fact that he was now deep in the forest. He wouldn't know his way back when it became a priority.

Flynn stopped and slowly approached the blue glow. It wasn't a wisp, which brought his excitement down. Merida had told him that the will-o'-the-wisp were like tiny balls of blue fire, and he believed her because she had encountered them before.

"What is this thing?" muttered Flynn. It was a clump of something blue, which was twitching. The curiosity caused Flynn to try and approach the thing, but the ball unravelled and spread wings.

The creature darted at Flynn, but its body phased right through his body. It was an eagle, which was transparent and could glow blue. The eagle flew into the air and Flynn noticed that there were more of them above him.

Flynn heard an old leaf get crushed nearby, but only his own steps could make those sounds. If there was a similar sound nearby, there was someone or something nearby too. Flynn saw a shadow moving through the trees.

Keeping quiet, Flynn manoeuvred through the trees to pursue the figure. Those black cloaks were described many times in the stories he had read back at Corona. These motifs usually depicted a dark wizard, which Flynn and his brothers and sisters despised. It was the travellers or heroes who they wanted to become, and Flynn was the closest from the orphanage into being a hero if he took down this dark wizard.

The dark wizard disappeared and so did the blue eagles. Flynn was catching his breath until he realised that he was close to the edge of the forest. He should actually thank the dark wizard for leading him back.

Little did he know of the wisp's presence, floating at the edge of his vision the second he left the forest. The wisp watched the student leave as it too left the scene.

* * *

"Guys I'm telling you, there's a dark wizard lurking around in the Forbidden Forest!" yelled Flynn. He was glad that he was able to speak to someone about it at least.

"Really now? And where exactly did this 'dark wizard' go off to?" asked Bryan. They were the first people Flynn would tell. The Stabbington Brothers weren't from Flynn's orphanage; instead, they lived outside of the walls of Corona with a group of bandits.

"I don't know where he or she went, but I know what they're capable of. This wizard can summon illusions to throw off their victims and probably kill them after that!" Flynn knew he was exaggerating, but he couldn't help it.

"And here you are, all in one piece after facing the dark wizard from the forest." The Stabbington Brothers were laughing. They left the Slytherin table and headed outside the Great Hall, maybe planning to break a few rules before dinner.

Flynn scanned the Great Hall to find anyone who would believe him. Maybe if Flynn had a bit more evidence to support his claims, he wouldn't doubt himself either. He thought about the black cloak that flowed loosely from every movement. Everyone wore a black cloak, but not during their free time. Flynn then remembered one particular student to wear a cloak every time except for when he slept.

Flynn saw Jack and Hiccup, the two who got caught in a conflict with Dagur, which Flynn missed out on because he wanted to access the Restricted Section.

"Would they believe me?" Flynn thought. He stood up and approached Hufflepuff table.

"Hey, I know we've never spoken together before but I need to tell someone or I'll go crazy."

"Tell us what?" asked Jack. Flynn hesitated but did his best to get the words out.

"So I was in the Forbidden Forest half an hour ago and I saw something strange." Hiccup and Jack leaned in. "I saw something that looked like a dark wizard…"

"Dark wizard? How?" asked Jack.

"Well, he—or she—wore a dark cloak and casted some strange spells. That dark wizard escaped when I chased it. For some reason when I lost it, I found my way back."

"And how sure were you that this thing wasn't a shadow or another creature?" asked Hiccup.

"Very sure. I was close enough to see the fabric. And here's the clincher: That wizard casted these eagles that attacked me. But the eagles couldn't touch me. Instead, it went through me like a ghost. I think the wizard used these spells to confuse me so it could escape. The blue—"

Flynn stopped himself when he saw the jar of blue fire next to Hiccup. He was already suspicious if Hiccup was the creator of the blue eagles, and that Hiccup was the dark wizard. But Flynn ignored it because the blue fire was more vibrant than the pale blue emitted by the eagles.

Hiccup and Jack noticed the sudden pause in Flynn's sentence. They assumed that he had nothing left to say.

"So I know you wanted to tell people to get it off your chest, but why us exactly?" asked Jack.

"Black cloak and strange spells. Sound familiar?"

"Xander." Jack said while looking around in the Great Hall. "But his Core Magic are green snakes, not blue eagles. Maybe it's a Ravenclaw you saw."

Hiccup thought about what Tailfire told him while he was practicing.

 _That leaves a big question: Where is Xander during the breaks?_

"Another Xander that's in Ravenclaw? That doesn't sound good," said Hiccup. "It's likely that they're working together. But then again, you said it went through you without anything happening. It might've not been Core Magic."

"Meaning?" Flynn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"It's likely that it was still Xander, but he used a different spell. So, what do you suppose we do, Flynn?"

"I think we should figure out where Xander is during the breaks. He's elusive and potentially dangerous towards everyone including us." Flynn said. "We learn about him then we learn things about this mysterious dark wizard in the forest."

"A student like him might only be found in areas where not a lot of people stay. I'm guessing we'll find him most likely in areas that are restricted. If he ran away from you in the Forbidden Forest, I'm sure he won't be there for a while." Hiccup said, keeping his hands against the warm jar. "He wouldn't be outside right now, would he? It's freezing right now."

Xander entered the Great Hall alone. He sat on the Hufflepuff table near them where Yang was waiting for him. Luckily they were far enough for Yang not to hear, unless she had super hearing. Jack spotted something in Yang's hand, some kind of globe.

"I guess another time we should investigate?" asked Jack.

"Agreed," said Hiccup.

* * *

The next day was Saturday, meaning that there were no classes. Jack, Hiccup, and Flynn had informed several students who agreed to help them with the search.

Jack's job was to head to the Astronomy Tower, where students were prohibited to enter unless they had classes. Strangely, Astronomy for some year levels was held during the afternoon instead of midnight. It wouldn't have worked if Professor Lunar taught seven classes in five midnights.

The tower was a wonderful place to stay as Jack found the view soothing. Despite the edge having a parapet to prevent any accidents, Jack had a clear view of the entire area in front of Hogwarts like the sky; he had never seen outside clearly before because of the darkness.

Jack noticed a lot of activity outside at Hogsmeade. There were murders of crows flocking around the sky in a strange pattern. Jack assumed that it was a performance, like the ones outside the cities in America. Whatever it was, it ended before Jack was able to figure it out.

Jack then saw Anna and Rapunzel walking around the empty field. He then quickly headed down or else a professor would've caught him. He was extra careful to not make a sound when he went up and down the stairs; he was even barefoot to minimise sound.

Jack heard the sound of something heavy moving, as if the stairs were falling apart; he even felt the steps vibrating against his cold feet. Jack quickly went down but found nothing else. The entire corridor was empty.

* * *

Rapunzel and Anna were exploring the Hogwarts grounds, but there was no sign of Xander as Hiccup suspected. There was no way people would be spending their time outside in the cold.

"I guess the snow is late this year," said Anna.

"I've never touched snow, only seen it from inside." Rapunzel said.

"Well you're lucky, that's for sure. Arendelle has the best weather during the summer. But when it's winter, the fjords freeze so that there's no access to Arendelle except for Floo powder, but that's one person at a time."

"What do we do now?" asked Rapunzel.

"Well, we should wait for the others. Maybe they'll find something. I don't think anyone mentioned a place to go to after they were done."

The two had the outside to search. They searched the greenhouses and even the Quidditch pitch, but both places had locked areas. Jack had the Astronomy Tower. Hiccup had the library. Merida had the dungeons. Flynn had the Slytherin common room. And Astrid had Gobber's hut and the stables.

The girls saw Flynn running to them, out of breath. Moments later, he showed them what he found in the dormitories.

"What's that?" asked Rapunzel. Flynn took out a green book and they saw some diagrams.

"It's a spellbook, but not just any spellbook. It's Xander's writing right there." Each page presented a different spell.

"Rapunzel was it? That book you're carrying, can I borrow it?" asked Flynn.

Rapunzel knew why he wanted it but she was hesitant. It was her personal drawing book that contained the drawings of the floating lights. "Um." She didn't know what to say. She never left the book on its own except for that time when Jack kept it in his dormitory. He never mentioned anything about what was in the book, so she assumed he never opened it.

"It's okay. How about you give just one page so we won't have to see what's inside then," suggested Flynn.

Rapunzel breathed out and wondered why she acted so protective of her book. She tore out the middle page and handed it to Flynn. She was glad he understood without her explaining herself.

"Thank you." Flynn smiled and placed the page in front of him. The two girls gathered around him and waited to see what he planned to do with the page.

"One page means two spells can be copied, but which two is the question." Flynn flicked through the green book.

"Copy? I hope you know a spell that can do that." Anna said. Rapunzel watched as Flynn took out his wand and continued flicking through the pages. One page caught their attention.

"Stop! Wait!" yelled Rapunzel. Flynn looked back and her and flicked back one page.

"This one?" asked Flynn. Rapunzel nodded and they read the page.

"The Snow Charm. Jack's been searching for this spell but it was nearly impossible. Is it possible to copy this one for him?" asked Rapunzel.

"No problem. I wouldn't want another hailstorm in the Great Hall," said Flynn. He waved over the page while saying an incantation and ink began appearing on the blank page, moving around to replicate the page Flynn waved over.

"How did you learn this spell?" asked Anna.

"That book I stole. I remembered a few things before Mr Qwerty got it back," answered Flynn. "One more spell. Your call, Blondie, since it's your page."

Rapunzel had a strange reaction to that name. She went through the pages and found one that was definitely intriguing to all the students.

"This one?" asked Rapunzel.

Flynn looked closely at the page and his eyes opened wider than before. "Yeah, that one for sure." Flynn flipped the page of Rapunzel's book to a blank side. He got the page copied before leaving to return the entire book so Xander wouldn't notice. He felt lucky this day. It could've been chance, or it could've been the blue eagle he encountered yesterday.

"What page did you copy?" asked Anna.

Rapunzel flipped the page to show Anna. "It's the spell we've all been wondering about. It's Core Magic."


	14. The Snow's Gift

Professor Toothiana was busy working in her office, finishing off some paperwork before the winter break began. She heard a knock on the door and saw Professor Bunnymund.

"What brings you here, Bunny?" asked Toothiana.

"I was wondering if you were leaving Hogwarts for the break, but seeing you working your butt off, I guess I know the answer, Tooth."

"Well, not all of us have duties once a year," said Tooth. "We've been through this already. My fairies are managing by themselves at the palace but they need me every now and then."

Bunny was walking around in Tooth's office while she filed away the papers. He was looking at her desk and found a tiny box neatly wrapped up.

"What do we have here? Must be from a first year, right? It's always the first years that give you the prezzies," said Bunny.

"You're right, a Gryffindor, though. Usually it's the Ravenclaws but this year is different," said Tooth.

There was a letter attached to the box and Bunny read it out loud.

 _Dear Lovely Angel_

 _When I first saw you, I knew we were a match made in Valhalla._ _My gift for you not only symbolises my love, but also your wonderful sense of humour. Take a look._

 _Snotlout Jorgenson  
_ _The One and Only_

"Well, well, well, looks like a hoon has fallen in love with you," said Bunnymund.

"He's not a 'hoon'. You should see his friends, the twins," said Tooth, getting ready to file some books away at the top shelf. Tooth sprouted a pair of iridescent wings from her back and hovered to the top.

"Believe me, I've had a handful with the Thorston Twins."

Tooth got back down and her wings disappeared, curious with the student's gift.

"Let's see what's inside." Tooth picked up the box and opened it. She gasped and collapsed, getting caught by Bunny before landing on the ground.

"Tooth? Tooth!" Snotlout's gift was scattered all over the ground and it took a few moments for Bunny to realise why she had fainted.

 _My gift for you not only symbolises my love for you, but also your wonderful sense of humour._

"Bloody hoons."

* * *

The daily meeting took place at the Slytherin table with Jack and his friends. All students had finished their classes before getting ready for the day after tomorrow, where students got the opportunity to spend the winter break with their family.

Jack got to the table after Hiccup and Rapunzel. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years had no classes on the seventh period, whereas the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years had Flying.

When Merida returned, which was surprisingly long, Rapunzel noticed that Merida wasn't feeling her very best. There was a sign of perspiration developing on the bridge of her nose.

"Everything all right, Merida?" asked Rapunzel. Merida appeared as if she lost all the energy in her life. She was also resting her head on her hand, breathing in and out forcefully.

"Almost. I got this letter from my mum and it was full of it," said Merida.

"Full of what?" asked Jack. Merida took the letter out of her pocket and showed it to them. The three leaned in to read the letter; they were now involved in Merida's personal business.

 _Dear Merida_

 _It's been a while since we have heard from you, dear.  
_ _We heard from Maudie that you got into Slytherin house.  
_ _Honestly it caught the both of us off guard, but what's done is done.  
_ _We will await your return to London for the Christmas party being held at home.  
_ _If you have any trouble with the Slytherins, make sure you report it to a professor or prefect. You'd have no idea how helpful they are, even if they get in your hair most of the time.  
_ _These days are getting very cold, so wear warm clothing before getting back home.  
_ _A princess always has to act graceful wherever they are, so keep your chin up and walk gracefully like how I taught you._

 _Don't get yourself into trouble a lot like your father.  
_ _Don't skip classes because they will affect your scores in the exams.  
_ _Don't start any funny business with anyone. We don't want to hear that you got into a kerfuffle._

 _We really miss you and we cannot wait to share the surprise when you come back.  
_

 _Mum and Dad_

"A surprise?" asked Rapunzel.

"Believe me, it's probably related to something pointless, like always."

"Well isn't this letter… sweet." Jack said and Merida rolled her eyes at him.

"Sweet? Were you even reading it? It has my mum's name written all over it. I don't think my dad had the chance to write, let alone read the letter. I'm just worried what my mum would think if she found out that I wasn't going back for Christmas," said Merida.

"That's what you're worried about? You feel guilty about not going back, don't you?" asked Jack.

"Aye, but I would do anything to not have another lecture. I just need another half a year to recharge," said Merida, taking the letter back.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand. Just stick to what you intended and write a letter to tell them," suggested Rapunzel.

"Who's staying anyway?" asked Hiccup.

"Tailfire is leaving because it's a tad warmer south. Heather, Dagur, Bryan, Holly, and Vanessa are leaving too," said Merida.

"I don't think I know half of those names. I know most of Ravenclaw are leaving except for Mavis. She said something about making the most of her time away from her home. It was similar to your excuse, Merida," said Rapunzel.

"Who's Mavis? Should I know her? Because it sounds like we'll bond really well." Merida said while Jack and Hiccup were also interested to know.

"Mavis is a vampire. She's in our year level but you guys have probably only seen her during class. She's the one with pale skin and short black hair." Rapunzel explained.

"A vampire?! How has there not been an attack?" asked Jack.

"It's fine. Mavis drinks blood from people who donate it. She told me that she had to request it as a special dietary requirement to Professor Toothiana. It turns out that you can ask for whatever meal you want and you'll end up seeing it on the menu the next day."

"What about the myth about vampires not being able to be in the sun?" asked Merida.

"Mavis can't be in the sun. She goes to all her classes except for Flying and she sees the Quidditch matches under the shade. After her classes, she sleeps straight away in the afternoon and skips dinner. She's also about a hundred-years-old."

"No kidding," said Merida. "You think Xander is going to stay? Because if he is, then I can do some investigating on my own. But if he leaves, I'd be the only first year Slytherin."

"We'll see, Merida," said Hiccup. "Anyway, should we get started?"

"Not until Pascal gets back," said Rapunzel.

"Well where is he?" asked Merida.

"Exploring. I told him to come back soon."

"Your chameleon understands human speech?" asked Jack.

Rapunzel nodded.

* * *

Hiccup tore the wrapping off of his gift from Jack. They were all giving out presents early since they wouldn't be together for Christmas. Hiccup saw that it was a plain green hoodie, but he could already see that it was slightly too big for him.

"Yeah, sorry about the size. My parents couldn't find anything smaller for you," said Jack, leaving his hands on the three presents from Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida.

"That's okay, Jack. I'm sure I'll be able to wear it when I grow," said Hiccup.

"Just a heads up, it's the same for all you guys, just different colours."

Hiccup opened Rapunzel's present next and it was a box of chocolate. The packaging was a beige colour and the label said 'Chocolate Cauldron: For Young Wizards'.

"Oh, thanks, Rapunzel."

"Sorry I couldn't find something that lasts forever. Mother is the type to not help, so I got Anna's help. Elsa went to the candy store at Hogsmeade and bought as much as she could for you all. The original Chocolate Cauldrons contained alcohol and since Elsa was underaged, they only sold the non-alcohol ones to her. That's why it says 'For Young Wizards'." Rapunzel explained.

"My present, Hiccup," said Merida, tapping onto the gift. Hiccup held the gift and already suspected it to be a book. He unwrapped it and held the black book in his hands.

"It's a blank book… for drawing?" asked Hiccup.

"Anything you want. The thing about this book is that it's charmed to never run out of pages, so you can record anything from school, or for something like… I don't know, but you get what I mean."

"Thanks, Merida. I love it."

Rapunzel thought about Hiccup's book. It would've been very helpful to use with Xander's book.

"So I guess it's my turn?" asked Merida. "I wonder what's in here." Merida joked. They all knew it was another hoodie from Jack.

Merida tore the wrapping and unfolded the aqua hoodie. "Aw, Jack. You didn't have to."

"So _she_ gets to have a smaller size?" complained Hiccup.

"You want to trade, Hiccup?" asked Merida, flashing the aqua hoodie in front of Hiccup's face.

"Um, no thanks."

Merida then got started with Rapunzel's present. It was a box of Empire Biscuits, regular biscuits with a layer of jam in the middle. The top was decorated with white icing with a red Jelly Tot in the centre.

"Thanks, Rapunzel."

Merida got Hiccup's present and was suspicious because it was rectangular and flat. "If this is the same gift I gave you, Hiccup, I swear I'll—"

"No, Merida, it isn't. Just open it and get it over and done with."

Merida opened the present and saw that it was a spellbook.

"'Spells that are helpful in the Muggle world, especially the ones for chores and for pulling pranks on Muggles'. Thank you, Hiccup. I'll make the most of it." Merida flicked through the pages to look for one that would help her the most. "Your turn, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel opened Jack's gift and it was a pink hoodie, as she expected. She had told Jack that lavender was her favourite colour.

Hiccup's present was also another book, but there was more to it. Hiccup placed a wooden box in front of Rapunzel and she opened it. It contained a set of new paint and some art equipment.

"The art club was generous enough to hand these things for me. I heard that you were very interested in art," said Hiccup. Hiccup took the time to visit the art club but never considered joining. Maybe if Rapunzel or someone else who was his friend joined, then he'd be glad being part of the club.

"Who told you that?" asked Rapunzel.

"You draw all the time in your books when we have Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms," explained Hiccup.

"Is that so? Well thank you, Hiccup!" She hugged Hiccup and the rest were clearing their throats.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I was a little excited." Rapunzel then hugged Jack and Merida.

"You haven't even opened my present yet. Why are you hugging me?" joked Merida. Rapunzel sat back down and opened Merida's. It was a chart that labelled all the stars visible in the sky; it would be useful for tracking them in the future.

"That thing you told me about the floating lights. Perhaps this chart might be useful." Merida started to put on the hoodie Jack gave her.

"Thank you, Merida!" Rapunzel hugged Merida the second time. "You look great in that hoodie."

It was Jack's turn and Rapunzel was excited for this one. She may have given candy to the others, but Jack's gift was not a consumable. She knew this one was special for Jack.

"Let's see, small and crinkly, like a wrapper." Jack opened the present and it was a bag of sour candy. "Thanks, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel was staring back at Jack blankly. "That's not from me."

Jack looked at Hiccup, who was shocked because Jack assumed it was from Rapunzel. To be fair, Rapunzel gave the others candy.

"Thanks, Hiccup, I think," said Jack.

"It's fine, Jack. I did my best looking for that spell you were looking for, but so far no luck."

Jack got up to Merida's present and it was a necklace. It had a silver snowflake symbol on it.

"No way. Merida, how much was this?" asked Jack, thinking that they should've set a budget limit.

"It's fine, Jack. It's not _that_ expensive, so you shouldn't feel so down," said Merida.

"Coming from a princess. Define expensive." Merida ignored Jack and encouraged him to open Rapunzel's present, which was a Christmas cracker.

"There isn't candy inside?" asked Jack. Rapunzel nodded, excited to see his reaction.

Jack grabbed the Christmas cracker and pulled it apart. The cracker made a loud noise and an interesting show of tiny snowflake explosions. After the explosions, a small scroll fell out and Jack unrolled it. Jack, Hiccup, and Merida were shocked, looking back at Rapunzel.

"How did you get this?!" Jack questioned, not believing what he was looking at.

"Well, remember that investigation we did around two weeks ago?" The others nodded and Rapunzel continued. "Flynn found Xander's spellbook and brought it to whoever he could find, which was me and Anna. We looked through and found that spell, so we copied it. I know I should've told you guys about our findings, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Thank you, Rapunzel." Jack smiled and read the scroll. Maybe he'd have a chance to cast it before going back home.

"There's more that I should tell you guys. We copied two spells from that spellbook before returning it. We found the Snow Charm and also the spell that creates Core Magic."

Jack, Merida, and Hiccup's mouths were opened wide.

"Maybe you should've told us you found the spellbook without mentioning the Snow Charm," said Hiccup.

"I know, but don't worry. Anna and other Ravenclaws are studying the Core Magic Spell. So far none have been capable of casting it."

"Why not? They have the incantation and hand movement, right?" asked Merida.

"Of course they do, but there were a few notes Xander wrote too. It said that the spell depends on the age of the caster, and once the spell is casted, it'll be easier to cast it again," explained Rapunzel.

"But it's fine for us, right? If Xander is in our year then that means our age is fine to cast it," said Merida.

"What was the incantation anyway?" asked Jack.

"Energius Reducto. It explains why it only drained the energy from Dagur, instead of injuring him," said Rapunzel.

"So Flynn returned the book? Any chance we'll see more spells on it?" asked Jack.

"I don't think so. After that day, Flynn couldn't find the book anymore. It's almost as if Xander knew people had found it."

* * *

Snotlout spent detention at Gobber's hut for taking his prank too far. He was sure Professor Toothiana would've laughed it off. It didn't matter since he heard she was centuries old, unlike Astrid or Heather or Lily or Rapunzel or Merida etc.

"Okay, Snotlout, your job is to clean the dragon stable. Don't even make me find a single smudge on the door handles. I want everything pristine," ordered Gobber.

"All right, all right, I got it," replied Snotlout.

While Snotlout swept the floor, Gobber was feeding the dragons.

"So did you really think Tooth would've wanted a box of your teeth for Christmas? What's worse is that they were in the state of decay," said Gobber.

"It's my teeth and I can do whatever I want with them! I grew them and pulled them out myself!" yelled Snotlout. It was fine since he usually yelled at everyone on Berk, except for his father and Hiccup's father.

"Oh I remember. You almost cried in front of everyone when you pulled your first tooth. And 'whatever you want'? Then you must've wanted your teeth stolen and taken to the Tooth Palace, did you not?"

"Who cares? They're just a bunch of teeth. It's not like I was gonna use them again." Snotlout stopped sweeping and started polishing all the metals in the stable. "What do you mean Tooth Palace?"

"Oh, the Tooth Fairy's job is to collect teeth from children. All the teeth are stored at her home located in China, where they are kept in golden boxes. She hasn't collected teeth in a while now and seeing your wretched set of teeth were a whole new experience for her." Gobber explained.

Gobber pulled out his golden tooth and gave it to Snotlout to polish. Although it took a while for Snotlout to agree on cleaning that fake tooth, he eventually got around to it by dropping it in a bucket of water, which did the job for Gobber.

"You're so getting it when you get back to Berk," threatened Snotlout.

"Am I now? We'll see, we'll see. Anyway, I'm leaving early. I expect this entire stable in tip-top condition when I get back tomorrow."

Snotlout rolled his eyes after the groundskeeper left, mocking all the things he said.

"'Keep the stables clean, Snotlout, or else all the students will notice that I'm a vulgar Viking like the rest of you Berkians. Blah blah blah—"

A dragon near Snotlout began struggling in its stall, even though it didn't have any restraints except for its mouth. Snotlout thought about taking off the belt around the dragon's snout, but that could result to a burning barn and maybe even the forest if time progressed.

The dragon was a Monstrous Nightmare. A high-class dragon that only experienced tamers could train. They were known for their hot-headed temper and their knack for setting themselves on fire, burning everything they touched. Luckily they could only do that when they were covered in their own saliva, which wasn't possible with its mouth strapped. The stall was larger compared to the other ones that contained smaller dragons and Nightmares came in different colours; this one was red.

"Whoa there, boy, easy." Snotlout was safe from the dragon. The metal bars separated him from potential death.

The sun was down hours ago and the only source of light was the flamed torch hanging inside the stable. Snotlout was too frightened to continue cleaning, but avoiding his duty could result in extra punishments and more nights. How did the twins manage to do this all the time? Maybe it was easier because they had each other.

"Looks like I'm gonna miss out on dinner," thought Snotlout, holding his stomach as it growled.

A sound came from outside the stable. Snotlout was petrified to inspect the source. He expected the twins pulling some kind of joke on him, but he still wouldn't dare to call out to them.

The dragons became distressed and the Monstrous Nightmare began head-butting the iron bars. The hinges broke and Snotlout rushed to head outside the barn.

The entrance was large enough for the dragon to fit through; otherwise, the dragon wouldn't have been in the stable on the first place.

The Monstrous Nightmare lifted Snotlout with its snout and began flying towards the castle.

* * *

During dinner, the four had packed away the gifts except for the snacks from Rapunzel.

"So how did we do? Are we able to do it next year?" asked Rapunzel.

"Most likely. But I think it should be one gift per person, _and_ a budget limit," said Jack.

Merida tapped Hiccup on the shoulder. Hiccup looked and saw Merida pointing at the ceiling. A paper plane was heading his way, landing in front of him and his friends.

"I thought magic doesn't work at Berk?" asked Merida.

"We have an elder at Berk who uses the Indago Spell to send letters. She is extremely powerful with magic and can cast it even from there. The range of magic works at England, right? And it gradually becomes weaker further away. Well on Berk it's hard to create magic, but not impossible." Hiccup explained while unfolding the letter.

"Why though?" asked Jack. "Why is it that Hogwarts became the centre point of magic?"

"As you'd know, magic disappeared all over the world after Year X. The Dark Weapon destroyed important structures that were sacred and channelled magic everywhere. I'm guessing the last one is somewhere at Hogwarts," said Merida.

Hiccup read the letter as the others were sharing the Chocolate Cauldrons and the Empire Biscuits. Jack was about to feed Pascal some sour lollies from Hiccup, but Rapunzel insisted that he should only feed her pet with insects or tiny bits of fruit.

"Well? What did he say, Hiccup?" asked Merida.

"Oh, you know, the usual things a Viking would say. He spoke about taking on trolls, but he was obviously joking, or he wasn't aware of the fact that first years cannot take on a troll. He then went on about learning magic and that Berk was still holding up against the Outcasts."

"Your dad seems like he's very busy," said Merida.

"Oh, believe me, he is." Hiccup saw that Jack wasn't paying attention and was busy practicing the Snow Charm. "Jack?" called Hiccup, watching as his friend faced him. "Did you get a letter from your parents?"

Jack shook his head. "I sent them a letter about a week ago, but I guess the reply would arrive when I get back, which is unfortunate. It doesn't matter though, as long as they get my letter before I come back."

"And you, Rapunzel? Your mother send you any letters?" asked Hiccup.

Rapunzel shook her head but told them that she received letters, confusing them all. "I did get letters but Mother would be furious if I showed it to anyone."

Rapunzel's chameleon made a quiet sigh as he rested on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"That's fine, I guess. It's your privacy," said Jack.

"But I don't get why your mum has to be so paranoid," said Merida.

"Believe me, I wish I understood too," admitted Rapunzel. The real reason why she didn't show them the letters was because it was different compared to her friends' letters. Her mother was always mentioning about the promise and it sounded more possessive than loving. The letters she heard today had emotion and showed her something she longed from her mother. It was doubtful that any of them were punished like her.

"Jack, before you leave Hogwarts, tell me how the Hogsmeade Post Office is used," said Merida.

"Well, if you don't know how to cast the spell that makes the letters fly, then you have to use an owl there. Also if you're like me and you live far away from England, then you have to go there to pick up the letters your family send."

"I guess I'll go there to send letters to my parents then."

* * *

When the students got ready to head to their common rooms, Jack and his friends got out to the corridors and saw students running the opposite direction from the entrance hall.

"What's happening?" asked Jack, pushing through the crowd and ignoring Merida's warning.

"Jack! Where are you going? Can't you see that danger is _that_ way?"

The three followed behind Jack and luckily all their gifts were safely stored in their dormitories, all except for the consumables.

Jack saw a dragon at the end of the corridors, with Snotlout on its head screaming for help. Jack turned and saw that Hiccup was already gone, bolting with the escaping students. Jack, Merida and Rapunzel were the only students left with a few others hiding behind stone pedestals that held flames on top.

"What do we do? Jack?! We have to get out of the way!" yelled Rapunzel. Outrunning the dragon was impossible and hiding places were all taken.

"Man, if only Hiccup wasn't afraid then he'd know how to stop this one," said Jack. He then had an idea. If this dragon was in a rush then killing him and his friends was unlikely. If it wanted to kill someone then it would've already killed Snotlout.

"Guys, stand very still." Jack ordered. He received stunned expression from both girls.

"You're kidding me right?!" It was too late. All other options weren't available so Merida stood close to Jack and Rapunzel, not moving a muscle. "You're not kidding."

The Nightmare glided over the three first years, causing them to fall backwards from the intense moment. Rapunzel and Jack quickly got up and fired spells at the dragon, hoping that the one they learnt recently would stop the dragon from wreaking havoc.

The red sparks of magic landed on the dragon, but it flickered away as if the dragon was immune.

"What are you guys doing?!" Merida lowered both their wands. "Dragon scales are immune to magic."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" asked Jack.

"How was I supposed to know that you two had the guts to do that?!" she exclaimed.

The dragon stopped to turn but Snotlout was too frightened to jump off. The dragon was still flying and several metres above the ground, causing the flames on the pedestals to wave intensely. The Nightmare glared at the three first years with its intimidating yellow eyes.

"Now you've done it," said Merida. "We need to go! It may be muzzled but it could tear us apart with those talons."

The three ran as quick as they could but the dragon outmatched their speed. They could measure how close it was to them by hearing Snotlout's cry.

Jack tripped against the stone floor and the two girls stopped, helping Jack and watching the dragon dive towards them.

Before the dragon pounced onto the students, time slowed down. Jack looked above after hearing a whistling sound from behind. One of the students who was hiding behind one of the pedestals was waiting for the right moment before firing a bolt of green flames above the three first years, striking the dragon's wing.

The dragon crashed onto the ground directly in front of the three, with Snotlout tumbling down the dragon.

"You okay, Snotlout?" asked Jack.

"I had it under control… mostly," said Snotlout. He was struggling to get up and Jack and Rapunzel helped him. He was hit with fragments of the Core Magic.

They all looked back and saw Xander putting his wand away.

"Core Magic can penetrate through their scales," said Xander.

Students came out of hiding while other came back after running. Professor North and Lunar arrived and watched the aftermath.

"Where were you guys?! We really needed some help here!" yelled Snotlout.

"It would not matter anyway." The group looked back and Xander approached them. "The professors would not have been able to stop the dragon unless they had Professor Black."

Xander walked off and they heard the whispers from the students. What Xander had meant about Professor Black was that potions worked on dragons.

"Jack, Rapunzel, I want you to take Snotlout to the infirmary." North ordered.

"But I'm fine," complained Snotlout, beginning to walk on his own.

"He's right. Being exposed to remnants of Core Magic means the recovery time is quicker," said Rapunzel. With luck, the professors didn't question how she knew that much about the mysterious spell.

"Very well. All students are to head to their dormitories while this matter is resolved." The students moved to Lunar's command, fleeing through the corridors while Gobber arrived to take the dragon back.

"Mr Jorgenson, we still need you for a bit of questioning," said Professor Lunar.


	15. Fun

The rumours that surfaced on the next Saturday morning was about the first year Slytherin called Xander Yates. His ability of creating spells without incantations had emerged when he took down Dagur and the Stabbington Brothers. Eventually, all rumours would become warped and unbelievable, which kept Xander's popularity low around the school. Until yesterday, where the act of taking down the Monstrous Nightmare reinforced the past rumours of him, making him well known to all students. There was nothing Xander could do to keep them quiet now.

The dragon problem was not resolved either. Snotlout was questioned about the Nightmare, but all he spoke about were the strange sounds coming from the forest. Gobber had reported hearing strange noises too and investigated, but there was no luck. They weren't going to perform a full search in the Forbidden Forest, not while there were only dribbles of evidence regarding strange activities. Maybe Flynn's story of the dark wizard creating flying blue eagles would be able to start the investigation, but he didn't want to talk about his failure of not finding a wisp. He also considered the fact that he would've been punished for heading in the forbidden area.

The fears and secrets engulfed the dreary sky, supporting the crepuscular tone of the school grounds. There was nothing to do other than to wait for the next day, leaving the school to finally spend time with family and celebrating the holiday of setting new resolutions.

Darkness and the non-existent murk couldn't torment the students forever.

* * *

Jack ran outside of the Clock Tower Courtyard, an area representing some of the oldest places of Hogwarts. The cloisters and walls were dilapidated, some parts covered in moss and roots from larger trees such as the pear tree.

It was quiet and Jack turned to see Rapunzel and Hiccup, waiting for him to help the students. Jack stood next to the antique fountain, where small statues of eagles surrounded the structure.

"Whenever you're ready, Jack," said Hiccup. Some students were curious of what Jack had planned for them.

Jack took a deep breath and aimed his wand towards the sky. He didn't need the scroll with him; his practice in the dormitory was sufficient enough to be confident that the spell would work. All of the practice was kept at high discretion. He only made the spell work in his dormitory, so all the first year Gryffindor males knew, which was why during breakfast, Jack gave them the job to spread the news that a miracle was arriving. All they had to do was believe.

"Nixio Descendare," chanted Jack.

A pulse of soothing whispers travelled throughout the wind, lightening up the boredom. A bolt of blue-white magic was conjured and delivered into the sky, hiding above the clouds. The clouds turned darker and a gentle flash of blue escaped the permeable clouds. The scene covered the entire school as students who hadn't left the castle yet did so to see what was coming to them.

The first speck of white rhythmically danced its way towards the ground; it was the first sign of snowfall. Students began cheering as the number of snowflakes appeared at an exponential rate. In a matter of minutes, the ground was layered with a thick covering of soft powdery snow.

Students of all ages began gathering the snow. Some built snowmen and precious sculptures using magic; some fell onto the white fluff and began creating snow angels; and best of all, most prepared for a full scale snow war, where everybody fought for themselves.

Rapunzel and Hiccup concurrently threw their snowballs at Jack, both getting blocked by Jack's arms, shielding his face and chest. Even though he was outnumbered, he had a few tricks up his sleeves.

Jack made a huge grin at the two and waved his wand across the snow. Particles of snow began whirling like a miniature tornado, clumping together into perfectly round snowballs. These extra snow spells Jack learnt were all thanks to his efforts of finding the actual Snow Charm in the library.

Hiccup and Rapunzel both backed away as Jack threw a bombardment of snowballs at them. Rapunzel was laughing and realised that she was taking cover with an enemy. Hiccup gave her a confused look as she shoved a snowball into his face, running away from him after that.

Jack noticed North standing nearby, watching him with a smile and then giving Jack a nod. Jack waved long enough for North to not sense Flynn Rider's ambush. Jack didn't hear the sound of the snow hitting North's back, but he saw the remnants of the shattering snowball and the sudden change in North's expression.

North turned around and saw Flynn running through the crowd of students, trying to hide in plain sight.

"Hah! You're on the naughty list, Mr Rider!" North gathered two handfuls of snow and proceeded to attack all students on sight.

This was what Jack wanted to do with his family, showing them what made him special and sharing the fun and beauty of the other world. These wizards and witches may not be his family, but they were still people who needed help from the fear deriving from the dark era of war and bloodshed, the fear of Year X slowly creeping up to them. The dark was not present anymore; winter had finally arrived.

* * *

Merida was inside an empty classroom with Professor Toothiana. Tooth was busy writing on the chalkboard and getting ready to teach later on. Merida had asked how it was possible that classes were still present during the weekend as well as the winter break. Apparently many students constantly booked in extra classes to stay ahead of their studies. At least Tooth was a decent teacher to be willing to educate overtime.

The letter on Merida's table was complete. All she had to do now was to send the mail using the post office at Hogsmeade.

Merida carefully reread the letter in case there were any spelling or grammatical errors. Her mother would've pointed them all out in the future.

 _Dear Mum and Dad_

 _I am sorry to inform the two of you that I won't be returning home this winter break. Schoolwork has been keeping me back and one of my friends doesn't want to be alone. They are nice people and I hope you both get the chance to meet them. There's Rapunzel who's from Ravenclaw. She is the sweetest lass you could ever meet. My other two friends are from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. They've both made my year at Hogwarts quite memorable and together we've helped a lot of people. Again, I'm sorry you're going to have to see me until the school year ends and I hope you both understand._

 _Love Merida_

Merida left her seat with the letter, ready to give to Professor Bunnymund for evaluation. It was only his permission that she needed to be able to get to Hogsmeade.

"Wait," said Tooth. Merida turned and faced the Head of Ravenclaw. "I can reduce your effort of walking to Hogsmeade by sending the letter myself. That's if the letter is for your mum or dad."

"It's for my mum especially. Thank you, I guess." Merida handed the letter to the professor.

"Indago Elinor Dunbroch." The paper began folding and it floated mid-air, forming into a paper plane. The paper aircraft began rotating as if it was searching around the room for something.

Merida knew that the spell usually took a few minutes before tracking down the target, so she wanted to make use of the waiting time.

"If you are able to send that letter to my mother, then it means you still remember what she looked like," said Merida.

"That's true, Merida. Your mother was a Gryffindor, but she spent more time with me over North. She'd schedule these extra classes too, just to be close with Fergus," said Toothiana.

"Is that so, Professor?"

"Please, if I'm calling you by your first name, you should too. It's always a nice break hearing my contracted name. Just call me Tooth, okay?"

Merida nodded. "Tooth."

"Oh, right. Elinor was always the 'good girl' of the class, but sometimes she'd get caught up in the other Gryffindor's troubles, especially Fergus. There was this one time where your father took on Acromantulas, large spiders they were. After that event, the entire population of spiders invaded the castle, and the person who took all the blame was your mother."

"Really? Why?"

"She wasn't involved, but she didn't want her friends in trouble. For someone like her who was always bright and a strong influence to the younger students, punishing her was hard. She was the head girl too; being the princess made things easier for her."

The paper plane made its way out of the room by heading near the window, tapping the tip onto the glass. Tooth opened the window with just a wave of her wand and the letter continued its journey to London.

"Is it finally snowing?" asked Tooth, skipping to the window with Merida to observe the weather.

"It's Jack. He learnt the Snow Charm yesterday and now he wanted to help brighten the mood."

"Jack learnt this spell all by himself?"

"He did, but he wouldn't have been able to learn it if it weren't for the help of his friends, who helped find the spell for him." Merida explained.

"That's the best approach when learning new things. Always keep the right people close to you, and you'll discover miraculous things." Tooth looked at Merida with a serious expression. "That student, Xander. He was able to cast powerful magic. No doubt he was with the right people to achieve that, but these people may or may not be the right people for us."

"Professors usually don't talk about this. I thought most of them don't believe in stories like that."

"I wouldn't bet on that. I think most professors are afraid to do something about the strange sounds in the Dark Forest. I don't know about the rest, but me and Bunny believe that the Dark Weapon are still out there," said Tooth.

"You, Bunnymund, North, and Mansnoozie were there during Year X, right?"

"Correct, Merida. Other professors were fighting in the war too. Some did not make it. By the way, shouldn't you be outside playing with your friends?"

Merida nodded and prepared to leave the castle to join the fun outside. Tooth continued to finish the last section of the chalkboard.

* * *

Jack jumped into the open space and fired snowballs to students taking cover. He turned and saw Xander standing near the entrance of the corridors and avoiding the activity, just staring back at Jack. While approaching Xander, the snow was a huge pain to trod through because with every step he took, his feet sank into the thick powder.

"Hey, you're not joining in on the snowball fight?" asked Jack.

Xander's eyes opened slightly as if he was surprised. He straightened his stand and replied, "Not a fan of snow. You are not cautious of me?"

"Why would I be? Those rumours about you are true, but it doesn't prove anything negative. I'm sure a lot of people are just not used to seeing new things," said Jack.

"It is good you think that way, Jackson, but I am for the contrary; I do not believe in things unless I have the evidence," said Xander. "Why were you so eager to create snow?"

"Because it is my specialty. I've been told that I was good with these kinds of spells, so I might as well help people using what I can do best." Jack then added, "I would've shown this to my family, but since they're not here, I might as well show it to my friends."

"So you are going back to your home for Christmas?"

"Of course I—"

"May I ask why?" asked Xander.

"I don't know, because they're my family. What kind of question is that?" Jack laughed weakly and thought about the letter he would've read from his family if he stayed at Hogwarts. He checked this morning but the letter was still taking its time to reach him.

"Nothing. I was just curious. But I think it is a good idea for you to stay at Hogwarts for the break."

Jack was confused. "What? Why?"

"I just think it would benefit you more to familiarise yourself with the castle."

"Sorry, but I think I'll turn down that suggestion," said Jack.

Xander nodded and left through the corridor.

Xander was definitely a strange person to Jack. He defended Jack from bullies and saved Jack and his friends from a dragon. There was no reason for him to help, but he still did. Why was he drawn towards the topic of Jack leaving to his home? Was Xander staying at Hogwarts but didn't want to be lonely?

"If he wanted to be friends, he should've asked," thought Jack. He ran to the corridors to maybe make Xander's job easier.

"Wait! Um, the spell that fires Core Magic…"

"So you have figured out what the spell I had been casting was. What about the spell?"

"What's the incantation? I know it'll take a while for me to cast it since it's not ice-based, but could you at least tell me what the incantation is?" asked Jack. He knew the incantation already, but wanted to test Xander in case he was actually hiding something.

"Why do you want to learn the spell?" asked Xander.

"The rumours of the strange noises in the Forbidden Forest are things you don't believe, but I do. I want to be able to defend myself if things become tough, and also if Dagur _does_ cause minor conflict with me."

"Energius Reducto. The incantation is Energius Reducto. It does not produce Core Magic; it only channels it, so it will be red when you cast it. Once the Core Magic is produced, you can manipulate it to whatever you want."

It didn't count, but that was the first time Jack heard Xander say an incantation. And since Xander could've lied about the incantation, it meant that he had nothing to hide because he told Jack the truth.

"Look, I really need to go. We should converse another time."

Xander left and Jack still thought of Xander as if he was a little strange.

"So much for wanting to be friends."

* * *

Within the corridors that enclosed the Middle Courtyard, the Princess of Arendelle stood. She watched the falling snowflakes deduct and there was more than enough snow for everyone to have fun.

One of the last fragments of snow landed on her palm when she reached out, so soft and weightless. The other times she had felt snow and ice made her hate the feeling. It was too solid and sharp to the touch.

"Elsa! Come join us!" called Nod. Hans and MK were there too, gathering as many snowballs while Nod built defensive barriers.

Elsa wanted to join, but feared that her Semblance would activate, injuring the people she cared about, including Anna.

"No, I have to do something," lied Elsa. She quickly left the scene to avoid giving any more silly excuses. She told herself every day that sacrifices were necessary to protect loved ones.

* * *

It was a good hour that had passed until all students had fulfilled their daily intake of fun. Most of the students headed back inside to pack their belongings. It was a good end to the first few months of their school year.

Jack and some of his friends still had time. They wanted to learn the Snow Charm with Jack being their mentor. Surprisingly, only Astrid, Hiccup, and Anna displayed signs of the spell in action, even though it wasn't anything compared to Jack's snow.

"I think this says something about you," said Astrid, conjuring a small cloud of snow that covered Jack's head. Hiccup and Anna's snow were moving around in unpredictable directions.

"How so?" asked Jack. The cloud released snow all over his hair, making his hair appear white, like Flynn, who was pushed into the snow pile and had snow all over his head when he got back up.

"So you know that your spells are centred around ice-based magic, the opposite of Tailfire. We all know for sure that there are thousands of other Muggle-borns who have Core Magic in their blood, but North chose only one: You." Astrid stopped the spell that clouded over Jack.

"I wasn't the only one outside of Europe. There's John from Ravenclaw—and North didn't 'choose' me; I had to accept too," said Jack. He rubbed his hair to get rid of the snow.

"But John is a pure-blood. I know if _that_ Dark Weapon rumour was true then he'd be a target like you, but that's beside the point. You are a Muggle-born but you have a special talent in the wizarding world."

"Well that's nice to hear, especially from you, Astrid." Jack gave her a grin and she appeared to have regretted complimenting him.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Frost. You won't be hearing anything nice from me later on," joked Astrid.

"Frost?" said Jack. It was the first time he heard someone call him by another name, except for Jackson, which was from Xander.

The group of first years parted into four different groups, heading to their respective houses.

"Seriously, we should do something like that again. That was the most fun I had at Hogwarts."

"Yeah! More snowball wars!" shouted Ruffnut.

"But Jack, have you ever considered if the spell worked on warmer weather?" asked Astrid. Jack thought about it and shook his head. He had only practiced the Snow Charm yesterday and today.

"Want me to pack your belongings, babe?" asked Snotlout.

"Sure," replied Astrid, surprising Jack. He thought she was not interested in Snotlout at all.

The twins were chuckling and Ruffnut leaned towards Jack so he could hear her whisper.

"The Gryffindor girls' dormitory prevents boys sneaking in." Her face was too close to Jack that he was uncomfortable feeling her breath touch his neck. It sent shivers down his spine.

"We're not supposed to be separated. When I followed Ruff to her dorm, the stairs collapsed into a slide." Tuffnut added.

"How is it that Snotlout never attempted going up?" asked Jack. Snotlout and Astrid were ahead of them, so they couldn't possibly have heard him.

"Um, how should we know? We're deranged," said Ruffnut.

"You're wrong, Sis. Nobody is as deranged as 'Dagur the Deranged'."

* * *

"Why is it that you decided it was the best moment to drag me away from all that fun outside?!" exclaimed Yang. She was completely absorbed into the snowball fight.

Yang and Xander were in the empty classroom in the dungeons. They had been here before when looking for John Wan and Lily Sirène.

"It will end soon. Most have already left to pack their belongings for tomorrow." Yang scoffed at his response, thinking it was lame.

"Remember what Thema told us two years ago?"

"Yeah, something about working together to get what we want."

"Correct. Can you confirm your predictions? Is it going to happen tomorrow?"

"Yes, Xander. According to my predictions, the plane _will_ arrive," said Yang. "But don't always rely on my predictions. The future is always inaccurate, which I hate! But the past is unchangeable, and that is why my Semblance is always accurate."

"All right. Use the orb on Jonathan Wan and Lilith Sirène."

"Um, I don't know about John, but Lily's full name is just Lily. And I already did a scan on them. It worked on Lily, but not for John. My Semblance may be accurate, but I think I need to practice to be able to perform it on everyone."

"That is not right. What makes Jonathan so special to avoid your Semblance? Anyway, I want a full scan on her past. Do your best for Jonathan."

"What's the rush anyway?"

"Jackson is going back to Hawthorne. We need to act now so he will not get there on time. When that unfolds, we all need to prepare ourselves for the worst. That means getting allies in order for the plan to work." Xander answered, using the Unlocking Charm on the cabinets and opening all the locks.

"Can't you just use the Imperius Curse on Jack?" asked Yang.

"You know I would not do that. It reminds me too much of Darkcharm."

Yang was laughing and Xander didn't ask; he knew she'd explain anyway.

"Sorry, I was remembering what he told us before we left to Hogwarts. He said we'd never be as close like brothers and sisters. Honestly we still have a lot of work to do well together, but something tells me it'll all be fine. You used to be the opposite of what you are now, kinda like Frost."

"Frost?" Xander searched the cabinets for inspection. "You spied on Jackson's past again?"

"Relax, I don't spy on everyone's past twenty-four seven. Jack was just special today because I wanted to see what he planned to do with the Snow Charm, after his friends stole your book. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah! I'm wondering when you'll be who you were before all this crap started. Unless that innocent boy is still in there."

Xander took out a potion and nodded, packing away and then locking the cabinets. He stared back at Yang and she saw the bottomless pit of his pupils. His mouth moved a little, almost smiling. Yang was disappointed that she still couldn't get him to smile.

"What are you doing then? I can't be the only one doing all the work," said Yang.

"We are going to take the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. Whatever happens, Jackson does not get on the train."

* * *

The next morning, Jack got up and saw that his suitcases weren't there anymore. Of course, the school was responsible for that time when his luggage magically appeared in his dormitory on his first day. But he wondered what exactly moved the heavy luggage belonging to all students.

They all had breakfast before their eight-hour journey back to London. Some students left to Hogsmeade, where their parents were waiting, before getting Apparated to their home. Rapunzel's mother didn't know the location of Hogwarts, so she told Rapunzel via letter that she'd wait at King's Cross. But that struck Rapunzel as strange. How did her mother know magic if she never went to Hogwarts?

Before Jack got on the red and black steam locomotive, Xander approached him.

"Jackson. Do not go back home to Hawthorne." Xander said bluntly. Jack wasn't going to listen anyway.

"Listen, I thought you were staying at Hogwarts. It would explain why you wanted me to stay. If you're here then it means that you're going. Don't you think that's hypocritical? Sorry, but I'm not staying unless you give me a very good reason."

"You would not believe me," said Xander.

"You have no idea. I'd believe anything at this point."

"I know for sure that you would not believe this."

"Then I guess I'm going." Jack got on the train and avoided Xander, trying to look for a compartment with Hiccup and Rapunzel.

Jack entered one compartment with Hiccup and Nod. Next to Nod was MK, the Hufflepuff who was with Jack and Nod when they created the hailstorm.

"Something wrong, Jack?" asked Hiccup.

"It's Xander. He told me to not leave Hogwarts for the winter break. It was really strange. Why me?"

"I wouldn't know. That _does_ sound strange," said Nod.

"It's even strange knowing that he's on the train right now."

"Really?! How's that fair?" asked Nod

"I know. It doesn't make sense at all. Anyway, Hiccup, where's Rapunzel?"

"Anna wanted her to accompany her. Mavis wasn't going back to her home in Romania, and it would've been weird with just Anna, her sister, and Hans." Hiccup explained.

"I wouldn't blame Anna," said MK. "Elsa has been acting differently ever since her sister came to Hogwarts. To think two sisters would've been close."

Nod thought about Elsa. If she became gradually lonely, then there was no way she'd continue being part of Quidditch. But recently, he had a conversation with Hans about this. Hans had told him to not feel upset and be supportive of Elsa's decisions.

The windows became foggy and Jack began drawing on it. He couldn't wait to show his family what he could do with magic, but then he remembered that magic wouldn't work. Why couldn't his family live in London? He'd be visiting Merida and his parents would get along with her parents. Magic would've made life easier. Maybe that's what Jack wanted, to live in England. Maybe he should ask his parents if that's possible. Hawthorne was his previous life.

Hours passed and the sun was about to set, until the train shifted speed, causing all four to wake up.

"What's going on?" asked Nod.

The train gradually slowed down even more until it came to a stop. Jack left the compartment and saw that other students were wandering around the carriages.

A voice then appeared from nowhere. "Attention all passengers, it appears that there has been some technical difficulties with the Hogwarts Express. We advise all passengers to remain calm and to stay in their compartments. The Ministry will send mechanics to inspect the issue."

"Where was that speaker coming from?" asked Jack.

"It's a spell. You'll hear it sometime during your years at Hogwarts, especially from Professor Tara," said MK.

"To think that a train would've had mechanics on the train in case a problem like this would occur," said Hiccup. On Viking ships, everyone was an expert.

"That's the thing. This train has never had a problem like this—at least, not in our time at Hogwarts," said MK. "But it's fine. The Ministry pretty much have everything covered."

"And how long does it take for the mechanics to come?" asked Jack.

"Well it depends. They need to pinpoint our exact location and Apparate there, unless they can't Apparate, then they'd have to use a broomstick or something fast. Fixing the problem might also take time, but I don't know exactly how long it would take. Maybe an hour?"

"Really, MK? An hour?!" Jack leaned his head backwards. It looked like the reunion with his family would be delayed. Xander would be happy a few carriages down.


	16. Returning Words

The Hogwarts Express finally arrived to King's Cross after two hours of delay. Mechanics had revealed that magic was the root of the problem, tampering with the machinery and shutting off the train indefinitely. Whether the problem was caused by an imbalance of magic or by culprits was unknown, but what they _did_ know however was the fact that there were no skilled professors on the train to cause such inconvenience.

Hiccup walked down the platform with the Berkians and Jack. The weight of the luggage on Hiccup's trolley was slowly bringing him behind the others. Only Jack slowed down to talk to his friend.

"So how are you getting back to Berk?" asked Jack.

"We're meeting Anna and the other students from Arendelle at the end of the platform. There are many fireplaces there to access the Floo Network," said Hiccup, "but you should know that. You came here using the Floo Network, right?"

"Yeah. There's a fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, so I was able to spare the walk. All I need to do now is use the fireplace to get to North America. So you're staying at Arendelle? Or are you leaving immediately?"

"We'll be leaving immediately. Gobber had requested the use of a Portkey. It'll take us to Berk in a few seconds. At least we don't have to use a boat anymore, which took about a few days."

"A few days? How did you guys manage to get to Arendelle safely?" asked Jack, stopping when they reached the array of fireplaces.

"We're Vikings. Difficulty is how we live."

The entire group waited and wondered where Anna and Elsa were. They had expected the princesses to be there before them.

"You mentioned 'Portkey' before," said Jack, "I've heard that term used many times, but I still don't know the meaning."

"Portkeys are another way for transportation. When an object is turned into a Portkey, touching it enables the person to teleport to one specific location. In this case, Arendelle took a shield to the Ministry of Magic, where the Department of Magical Transportation verifies and creates the enchantment on the shield. Whoever touches the shield ends up at Berk, along with the shield, so we all have to make sure nobody gets left behind." Hiccup explained.

They saw the older princess from Arendelle arriving with Hans. The instructor from Arendelle was waiting for them.

"Thank you, Kai," said Elsa. She handed her luggage to him and he neatly placed them in the fireplace.

"Where's Anna, Your Highness?" asked Kai.

"She'll come. She's just talking to a few people."

Anna and Rapunzel eventually came and Elsa and Hans got in the fireplace first. While the Berkians were making their way through the Floo Network, Rapunzel observed Heather, who was making her way to a tunnel that led to stairs.

"Where do you think they're headed?" asked Jack. Heather was walking down the stairs into the darkness. She was with another student in their year.

Rapunzel knew that student better than Jack and Hiccup. Oliver Steinsson was from Ravenclaw and lived on the same island with Heather, but surprisingly, they displayed no signs of friendship. Oliver was confident and intelligent, already owning a dragon before the children of Berk. It would seem that his village had no age requirement for owning dragons.

Dagur was then seen walking towards the tunnel of darkness, eyeing Jack and Hiccup before heading down the stairs.

"The docks," answered Hiccup. "It's guarded with magic to prevent Muggles from seeing it. When my mum's generation went to Hogwarts, they used this method too, but one year they were pushed behind schedule by a storm and missed the train."

"What did they do after?" asked Jack.

"They were all above the age limit to own a dragon, so they used their dragons to fly there. Gobber's master brought the dragons on the large ship too, just like what Gobber does now. When we're on our fourth year, Gobber will have a lot more dragons to carry."

"You get to bring your dragon to Hogwarts?!" asked Jack and Rapunzel.

" _If_ we tame one."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find the right dragon," said Rapunzel.

"Pardon my interruption, but, are any of you from Berk?" asked the instructor, Kai.

"Just me," replied Hiccup.

"I knew someone was missing. This way, Mr Haddock."

Hiccup said his farewells to Jack and Rapunzel. He got to the fireplace and disappeared after the flames covered him.

At Arendelle, Hiccup and his friends saw the princesses heading outside the building. The building they were in was not part of the castle.

The students all gathered around the wall opposite to the fireplace. There was the shield Gobber had told them about. It contained the Berk crest on it and it was the Portkey for them to get back to Berk.

"Okay, kids, I want all of you holding hands before using the Portkey. Mr Haddock, if you'd do the honours, I want you to touch the shield when I count to three," said Kai, "and do not let go until you reach Berk. Nobody can let go of each other unless you want to suffer a serious injury."

Kai began counting and Hiccup was in front of his friends. He grabbed the shield and the sensation was worse compared to using Floo powder. Hiccup could hear the struggles from his friends as Tuffnut threatened to let go to sacrifice himself for the safety of his friends, by taking Ruffnut with him.

They eventually got to Meade Hall, the main building of Berk. Hiccup and his friends were on the ground, trying to recover from the effects of Portkey travelling. He saw that he and Snotlout were suffering the most, as they were fighting to urge to vomit in front of the parents.

The elder of Berk, Gothi, casted a spell with her staff and the shield floated. She then made the shield hang onto a wall before the designs of the shield changed into the Arendelle crest, a green and purple background with a golden crocus.

Gothi tapped Hiccup with her staff and gestured for him to follow her. She was extremely old and had an obvious hunch. Nobody was as short as Gothi unless they developed a hunch in the future.

"No! No more medicine!" yelled Snotlout. Even if it was necessary, Snotlout hated the potions and medicines brewed by the elder. Hiccup didn't like it either.

* * *

"So… Are you staying? Or are you using the Floo Network to get home?" asked Jack.

Jack waited for a reply and only received Rapunzel's unclear expression.

"Haven't you already asked me that?" asked Rapunzel.

"No… I don't think so."

"Must have been Anna," said Rapunzel. "My mum is taking me back home. How about you?"

"I will, but I wouldn't want to leave you by yourself," said Jack.

"It's all right. My mum is actually waiting outside of the platform."

"Okay, so I guess this is bye for now?"

Rapunzel nodded and she watched him enter the fireplace, disappearing from the emerald flames. She had hoped that he would've stayed longer because she didn't know if she was excited or scared to see her mother again. It was the feeling of fear and love that was bottled up inside her heart.

When she got through the gate and was in Muggle territory, she saw her mother, waiting for her. Her mother saw her too and opened her arms for Rapunzel to accept. When they embraced, her mother patted her hair and stroked the strands.

"What's the matter my dear? Not happy enough to cry?" asked Gothel.

"No, it's not that I—" Rapunzel was cut off to her mother's touch, wiping off the small tears. She _was_ crying, but it was only to the point of tears gathering on her lower eyelids.

"That'll do, Rapunzel." Gothel took out an object while grabbing onto Rapunzel's shoulder. They were both taken to the cottage, where Rapunzel had spent most of her life.

Rapunzel could've sworn she saw an old and evil witch instead of her mother, as if her mother was ageing rapidly while Rapunzel was gone; but when they got back home, her appearance was back to normal.

It was now dark in Germany, around ten o'clock when Rapunzel had dinner that was prepared by her mother. She was talking about her first day of Hogwarts, getting to the school and meeting her new friends.

"Professor Moonhaven is the Deputy Headmistress and was in charge while the Headmaster was absent. He was here in Corona apparently."

"Really? Did they tell you why?" asked Gothel.

"No, mother. They just said that he had some matters to attend to," said Rapunzel. "On my second day I met—"

"Rapunzel, please, Mother is worn down with your constant blabbering. Blah blah blah blah blah—it's very annoying—I'm just kidding, my sweet child—I love you so much!" Gothel abruptly left the dinner table, leaving Rapunzel all by herself. It's been a long time since Rapunzel was called 'annoying'.

Rapunzel cleaned up before heading back into her room, her original habitat. The entire cottage was freezing because the only source of warmth was the cooking stove. Outside was filled with black and blue colours. The snow was hinting a sense of doom instead of fun.

* * *

Anna and Elsa were leaving the train with Rapunzel and Hans. They were now heading to the fireplace that would allow them to head back home.

"You're going to use Floo powder, Rapunzel?" asked Anna.

"No, my mother is waiting outside the platform. But I might stay for a little while. I've never seen Floo powder in action before."

Anna and Rapunzel stopped, seeing Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers still on the train. They weren't on the student carriages; instead, they sat on the freights that carried supplies from Corona and Arendelle.

"Anna?" called Elsa.

"Just go on ahead. I'll catch up." Elsa nodded and left with Hans.

"What are you guys doing on the freight?" asked Anna.

"We're making our way to Corona, Princess," replied Flynn.

"Sure, but don't you think using the Floo Network is going to be faster than the train?"

"Of course, but there's no rush. It'll be fun and there's plenty of potions and Dusk to sell when we get back home," he joked. "Besides, arriving to Corona via Floo powder means seeing a few guards. They won't be very happy to see me."

Anna and Rapunzel continued on. Anna imagined what it would've been like if she used the train like Flynn. It would've taken twelve hours to get to Corona, which was in Germany. After that, the cargo ship was the only thing that travelled from Corona to Arendelle, transporting the rest of the supplies that Corona didn't need.

Anna and Elsa got through the Floo Network and were in the building for guests. They waited as all the Berk students got through, ready to use the Portkey.

The two princesses left the building and headed to the castle, where their mum and dad were waiting for them. The snow was harsh and Anna covered her mouth to prevent the gust giving her windburn.

They reunited with their parents and Anna thought things were different, until Elsa left to her room. Their parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle, gave Anna a knowing look.

* * *

The next day, Anna waited at Elsa's door and saw the snow outside. She thought of all the fun memories when Jack created the snowy weather, how much motivation it gave to all the children. Maybe it'll work on Elsa.

Anna knocked on the door and waited for Elsa to open it. The door opened a little and Anna saw Elsa peeking out.

"What is it, Anna?" asked Elsa.

"Do you want to build a snowman with me, like old times?"

Elsa looked down as if she was disappointed. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm a little busy."

The door closed in front of Anna and all she could do was hide the pain she just experienced.

"Anna!" her mother called.

Anna went to the main hall of the castle and saw her mother dressed up in clothing suitable for outdoor activities. She wore gloves and a dress made up of warm fabric. Beside her mother were two pairs of ice-skating shoes.

"Go get dressed. I'll wait for you outside." Anna nodded and quickly went to her room, looking for all the equipment needed for outside. It was the only way to cloud Anna's dejection.

Anna was gathering dark stones and waited for Gerda to find her a carrot in the kitchens. Her mother was piling up snow while making the base for the snowman.

"Where's Dad?" asked Anna. The snowman she created wasn't made from fine snow, so it crumbled every time she assembled the pieces together.

"With Elsa right now. If your sister doesn't want to go outside then we should let her be."

Anna was sad again. Anna's parents didn't seem to try hard enough to convince her sister to spend time with her. Nothing's changed at all.

A sudden outburst of screaming and shouting erupted outside the castle gates. The Queen and her child stood up and abandoned the snowman, investigating the noise.

"Anna! Get inside now!" ordered Anna's mother.

Anna didn't question her and immediately ran inside the hallways; but her source of comfort wasn't in her room, it was in Elsa's. Anna got to Elsa's room and was about to knock on the door, until she had the urge to listen to what her father and sister spoke about. She wanted to know what made them so close.

"—it's important that you do not tell Anna." It was her father's voice.

"You don't understand. I won't be protecting her if I kept it from her. The secret will come out eventually."

"But what will happen to her once she finds out what kind of world she lives in?"

"I—I don't—"

Anna saw the Arendelle guards stampeding towards her, probably going to alert her father of whatever was happening outside.

"Your Majesty! There's an angry mob outside and we need to get you to safety!" cried out one of the guards.

Anna's father bolted out the door, leaving the door ajar. Anna and Elsa shared a glance until the door swung shut.

* * *

The day before the distress occurred at Arendelle, Merida had been witnessing strange events.

A few hours had passed since Merida's friends left Hogwarts. She sat in the Great Hall while eating breakfast. The food was tasteless now, but the decorations around the walls and tables were uplifting. A professor had used magic to bring the first pine tree inside, also heavily decorated after. The Enchanted Sky was now simulating snow, like Jack's, except the snow disappeared before landing on the tables around Merida.

The only students she knew here were Mavis and Tailfire. Mavis was always absent because she preferred sleep during the hours Merida was awake, so Tailfire was the only person she could bond with.

"I thought you said you were leaving. You said it was a wee colder here than at England."

"My parents would force me to participate in activities outside. It could either be playing with snow or ice-skating. Sometimes they make me do chores that require going outside, so I feel a little bad for them if I don't do it," explained Tailfire. Her skin was darker than Merida's, but she had told Merida that her family was from Ireland. Perhaps it was the sun that caused the tan.

Merida observed the snow falling from the ceiling and caught sight of a paper plane, heading towards her and Tailfire.

"That better not be for me," said Tailfire.

"I can't tell. It doesn't look like it's from my parents either."

The paper plane landed in front of Merida and began unfolding. She picked it up and began reading.

"So that's why I couldn't tell it was from my mother."

"Why?" asked Tailfire.

Merida turned the paper to her friend and she read the contents of the finely folded letter.

 _Dear Princess Merida of Dunbroch_

 _A package under your name has been sent to the Hogsmeade Post Office. It has been analysed and verified for pickup. Please request permission to access the post office._

 _Package ID: 49_

 _Password: Newt_

 _Best Regards  
_ _Hogsmeade Post Office and Owlery_

"I guess your parents left a gift for you too?"

"That's the only explanation to why the post office would hold my letter hostage," said Merida. "I don't suppose you could come with me to Hogsmeade?"

"Not at all. You need someone in their third year or higher. I'm sure they told you that when you sent your letter there."

"I never went. Toothiana sent the letter for me." Merida replied.

Merida and Tailfire left the Great Hall, going their separate paths. When Merida got to the Slytherin common room, she remembered that a lot of the Slytherins she knew weren't there anymore, including Hans. She didn't want to disturb any of the older Slytherins too.

"Maybe I should go to Professor Bunnymund first," thought Merida.

"Are you lost, little one?" called a deep and menacing voice.

Merida jumped slightly and turned to see Professor Black. He towered over her as she backed towards the cold cobblestoned wall. She straightened her posture to hide away her fear of the professor.

"I am looking for Professor Bunnymund. I need someone to take me to Hogsmeade Post Office."

"Well, how fortunate. It would appear that I'm also heading to Hogsmeade Post Office too. I can take you there," said Black, giving Merida a sly grin that she didn't trust.

"I think I'll wait for him."

"But how would you be able to if he's busy in the Dark Forest? He may have volunteered to find perfect pine trees for the decorations, but judging by the rumours of the forest, I think he won't be coming back for a while."

"Fine," said Merida. What reason did she have against his offer other than she didn't enjoy being in Black's presence?

Merida and Professor Black walked down the path that led to Hogsmeade together. Black was also from Slytherin house, but only an idiot wouldn't assume that. Merida didn't know why Black's skin was grey, like from a corpse, nor did she know why he always wore black.

"Tell me, Ms Dunbroch, how are the students of your year doing?"

"Excuse me?" asked Merida.

"I'm going to ask you some questions to make things less awkward," said Black. "How are the students of your year doing?" repeated Black.

"Um, fine?"

"Are you asking me the questions?"

"The students are doing fine."

"That's more like it," said Professor Black. He was purposefully patronising Merida and she did not like it one bit. "Let's be more specific this time. What do you think about Mr Yates and Ms Xavier?"

"Xander and Yang? I don't know. He knows strange magic and she's always seen near him."

"So you don't know anything about them? Let's keep it that way then," said Black.

* * *

Christopher was waiting for his Gryffindor friend, William, to return from his investigation. He was also in Gryffindor and they both hoped for something exciting yet dangerous to happen.

William came through the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, panting as he slumped onto the cushioned armchairs and was overwhelmed with lassitude.

"You tired already?" asked Christopher.

"Nah, just had to outrun a few people," replied William.

"Find anything?" The two hadn't had the time to talk to each other because William was busy spying while Christopher was training endlessly to get into the Quidditch team next year.

"No, things are harder now that many of the students had left."

William had a habit of snooping around, and then sharing his findings with Christopher and Quinn, who was also from Gryffindor.

"Who is it that was building a weapon?"

"John Wan from Ravenclaw. Why? He's not the only one being secretive."

"Then who else?" asked Christopher.

"Dagur from Slytherin, he has this demonic plan of taking over the Ministry of Magic," said William, "but that's not all. Even some of the professors are shady."

"Really? Like who?"

"The Headmaster just left the school without anyone knowing. He was talking about looking through the archives to find out what the Dark Weapon were up to."

"The Dark Weapon?! They're back?!"

William raised his hand to make Christopher lower his voice.

"We don't know for sure. Professor Lunar wanted to find evidence to see if it was connected to the events in the Forbidden Forest."

"How does that make him shady?" asked Christopher.

"I never said that he was shady. He wanted to keep that information hidden from professors, so some of the professors aren't trusted."

"What about Xander and Yang? You didn't find anything about them?"

"Nah, they're secretive that's for sure. But whenever I follow them, Yang always seemed to know of my presence and sometimes spent hours searching for me. She never confronted me during class, so that means she still never knew who was following her."

* * *

Merida and Professor Black made it through Hogsmeade, where wizards of different kinds were seen. Two students left the post office, one in their second year, and the other in their third year.

"Professor Black?! What brings you here?" asked the second year student.

"Nothing that concerns you, Mr Essa," replied Black, "but you are not getting away with stealing my potion ingredients."

The second year student was stunned and made the next words sound like his last. "How is it me? The thief probably left on the Hogwarts Express."

"Nothing happens without me knowing. You stole the snake fangs and thought that by not going back home, you weren't suspected."

"But, you don't understand. My brother—"

"Your brother is sick with a lung infection and you did not realise that creating potions required magic. After not considering this, you stayed at Hogwarts to finish the potion before sneaking your way off to New Hogsmeade, where the train will take you back to King's Cross and a way to the Floo Network. Isn't that right, Mr Essa?"

Merida and the third year student felt uneasy witnessing the conflict between the second year student and Black. She took this chance to slip into the post office.

In the post office, Merida saw a professor. She didn't know the professor personally, but she had seen her many times already.

"Anything I can do for you, dear?" asked the professor, sweeping the floor with a broomstick. She was old with sagging cheeks. Her bulbous gold eyes made her appearance more crazy than wise.

"Um, I have delivery waiting for me," said Merida. She showed the letter to the old professor and she took it to see it clearly.

Merida noticed the broom sweeping the ground on its own, gathering dust at the corner. In fact, it was now that Merida realised that there were a fair amount of woodcarvings decorated around the shelves and counters.

"Oh, my mistake. I should have remembered that the Princess of Dunbroch had crazy red hair." The professor made her way to the back room, searching for the correct package.

"You know me? Sorry, but I don't know your name."

"Ingrid Thorburn, but you should call me Professor Thorburn, or Ms Thorburn. I teach Divinations here at—oh, here it is!"

Professor Thorburn went behind the counter and placed a small parcel in front of Merida. Attached on it was a letter from her parents.

"If you're a professor, then why are you working here?" asked Merida.

"It's only temporary, Princess. The owner of the post office leaves during the winter break, and I have nothing to do other than to carve wood. I can't carve anything now because I left all my equipment at home." The woman said angrily.

Merida was ready to grab the box, until Thorburn pulled the parcel back.

"Oh, ah ah ah. Before you go, I need you to sign this form." A new form was presented in front of Merida.

 _Dear __

 _Your package has been successfully delivered to _._

 _Student's Signature:_

 _Best Regards  
_ _Hogsmeade Post Office and Owlery_

"Okay, there. Done."

"Excellent! Now all we need to do now is send an owl—" Thorburn looked around and realised something. "Oh, silly me. I forgot that all the owls were used to send family letters all over the world."

Professor Black entered the post office and waited until Merida was done. She didn't know exactly when he entered; he was just there suddenly.

"Oh, that's right!" Professor Thorburn went to the stuffed crow on the stand and waved her hand over it.

"Expergo." The stuffed crow began twitching as its black feathers flared.

Merida watched carefully as it turned into a fully alive crow, turning its head and seeing Merida.

"Staring is rude!" The crow exclaimed.

Thorburn grabbed the crow's beak and glared straight into its eyes.

"Listen here very carefully. I need you to deliver this message to the Dunbroch family at London. Do you understand? If you fail then I'll make you a stuffed crow _without_ the use of magic," threatened Professor Thorburn.

The crow took the rolled up letter and flew outside the window.

"I thought we use the Indago Spell to deliver letters."

"And why is that, Princess?"

"The thing about the Dark Weapon. I'd assume you'd know about them," said Merida.

"Why would the Dark Weapon steal letters meant for families?" Thorburn was now eyeing Merida while she had no answer to that question.

Merida left the post office with her package. She shook it to determine what was inside the box, but her listening wasn't as good as her vision. Merida then realised that Professor Black wasn't following her. Maybe he waited for her to leave, so he'd do whatever he was planning to do.

* * *

"I'm assuming you were looking if there were any owls available? Well I guess your luck has run out, Pitch. All the owls have been used including my emergency crow," said Ingrid.

"I was hoping that wasn't the case. I have important information to send," said Pitch as he was folding a letter.

"Why? Aren't the professors going to find out? Is Tsar not at Hogwarts?"

"No, the Headmaster left to the Ministry to search the archives, which is why I'm sending the message now. Nobody would've known if I used an owl."

Pitch snapped his fingers and particles of sand emerged from thin air. The black particles gathered into a horse-shaped creature with glowing yellow eyes. Pitch grabbed the horse made of black sand by the snout, almost the same way Ingrid grabbed the crow's beak.

"I want you to deliver the message. The wait is over." The horse exited the building through the same window used by the crow. The letter from Pitch was stuffed into the horse's body, getting trapped in the creature's ribcage.

"Now let's hope the horse isn't detected," said Ingrid, continuing to sweep the floor with her broom. "What did the letter say anyway?"

"There has been a slight shift to the plans. The spies have left their positions."


	17. No Hope

Back at the Great Hall, where slugabeds began gathering to have their late breakfasts, the large doors opened with Merida sauntering through the entrance. There was a second tree added in the hall with Professor Bunnymund using the Levitation Charm to hang decorations. Merida saw Professor Moonhaven waving her hands and growing holly and mistletoe around the hall. Her gracefulness made magic look easy.

Merida took a deep breath as she half expected the letter from her mother to be a Howler; at least it wasn't in a red envelope. Howlers were letters that projected the voice of the writer, shouting everything that was written. In this case, it would be her mother's voice complaining about Merida's refusal to return home. The main purpose of Howlers were to humiliate and inflict guilt to the receiver, allowing everyone within the precinct to hear.

"It can't be a Howler. Mum would've needed more than a day to make one," thought Merida. She opened the seal and glued her eyes shut, hoping that her mother's voice won't burst from the paper. None of Merida's friends were with her, including Tailfire, who was probably in the library, so she read comfortably.

 _Dear Merida_

 _I was not aware that you weren't able to come back home for the party. Maudie did not mention anything in her letters about you not coming. Your father has been talking nonstop about the questions he wanted to ask you about Hogwarts. It's a shame he won't be able to ask you this holiday. The friends you mentioned sound like very good people. I was worried that you were making friends with the heinous Slytherins._

 _Anyway, since you won't be here to hear the news I mentioned on my previous letter, I'll tell you now. The doctors have told me that I'm going to have triplets. You are going to be a big sister in the future._

Merida stopped reading and was processing this information.

 _You are going to be a big sister in the future._

"Well that wasn't expected," said Merida in the lowest volume so nobody would hear her. Since there wasn't any chatter to muffle out Merida's voice, anyone would've heard her if she spoke any louder. Even Merida heard students all the way from Hufflepuff table, talking about the Hogwarts Express breaking down.

 _It's okay since you'll at least be able to see the baby boys when you get back. It's been a few months now and your father is one proud king. Another surprise for you is in the box. Now I hope you didn't open it before reading this because like I've always taught you: A princess does not act on an impulsive lifestyle. I really wanted to see your reaction when you opened the box, but I guess not everything has to go my way. Merry Christmas, Merida, and I hope you enjoy a Happy New Year._

 _Mum_

Merida now felt guilty about not going back home. She felt a hook catching a piece of her heart and pulling her into a pool of darkness, forever making her live like she could never repay the price of being selfish.

Merida lifted the box and saw a white glint reflecting the light that entered the void. She was lost with words and stared at the necklace that coiled in the box, but it wasn't the necklace that shocked her. It was the white gem hanging on a pendant, the one she and her mother saw at Diagon Alley.

* * *

After Jack left Rapunzel to head back to North America, he was now in an old building where nobody lived. This building had the last fireplace in America that was connected to the Floo Network. The room he was in didn't have clean air; the light peeking into the gaps of the walls gave that away. Jack went outside and saw that the sun had a few hours left before it would set.

The city of New York was different compared to Hawthorne, located in Pennsylvania. The people were beginning to leave work to return to their home, only to repeat the process the next day. Their eyes were filled with silver and oblivion, as if they followed a single path of their life like robots. A similar feature Jack had noticed was the plane soaring over the cityscape. The sound and vision of the plane already made him feel like he was home.

There was a man in a taxi waiting for something, but Jack didn't know if the man was specifically waiting for him.

"Jackson Overland?" asked the driver. He wasn't the same person who drove Jack to New York four months ago.

"Yeah? That's me."

"No need to hide anything. I was sent by the Ministry to take you back to Hawthorne."

The taxi driver signalled for Jack to hop into the car while he stored Jack's suitcase into the boot. The drive from New York City to Pennsylvania would be at least a little bit past sunset. The three hours of waiting were now the only things separating Jack from his family.

Gradually, the ride became smooth as the traffic lessened. The sun had finally set and darkness was what filled the skies.

"Almost there, boy. Just hang in there."

When Jack left Hawthorne, he didn't want the ride to end, because it would've showed him how far he was from home. This ride was the opposite because the end of the ride would mean that he'd finally come home. By now, the road was looking familiar to him because this was the place where Jack already missed his family, wishing the driver turned around to take him back home.

In the distance, Jack couldn't see Hawthorne; instead, there was a giant fog that covered the town, and red and blue lights flashing all over the fog.

"What in the—" The car suddenly stopped as there were police officers instructing the driver to move around the town.

"Sorry, boy. This is the farthest I can get you."

"But my family is in there!"

"I'm sorry." The driver did not say anything else. The tone of grim was scattered into the air as Jack ignored his belongings and rushed out the car, seeing the fog that was green.

There were news reporters posing in front of the scenery as they created headlines about the disaster that took over the town. This phenomenon wasn't magical at all if the Muggles knew everything about it, unless it was by the Dark Weapon, where all Muggles witnessed the war of Year X.

Jack listened to one of the reporters while she spoke in front of the camera, "—unknown while the only source of the fumes was most likely caused by the chemicals of the fallen aircraft."

Jack saw people carrying stretchers with bags on top. He didn't want to know what was happening. All he desired was to know the state of his family. The screams of the police officers and people wearing hazmat suits couldn't convince Jack to stop. The torches indicated the distance Jack placed between him and the people as he tried to escape them.

When Jack entered the green smoke, the people stopped following Jack. He felt the toxic fumes entering his lungs, invading his breath. He coughed and wheezed, holding his breath and running to wherever he thought was his house.

There were houses tangled in vines and moss growing all over the ground. What kind of chemical was capable of causing such devastation?

"Mum, dad, Flee!" Jack was already deep inside the fog. The last thing he saw was the plane, broken and shredded to many pieces. It was only the tail of the plane he was looking at.

Two arms wrapped around Jack as he fell limp onto the ground. His vision blurred but he didn't fall unconscious yet.

"Jack. It's going to be okay." It was North who was trying to not breathe in the smoke. There was a swirling light behind North as he stepped into it after Jack lost consciousness.

* * *

"Are you stupid?! Sit down right now!" boomed Gothel.

Rapunzel was trembling but didn't make a sound. She sat on the chair in the kitchen and stared at the ground.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Rapunzel!" ordered Gothel. Rapunzel stared back into the deadly eyes. "Just because I let you go to Hogwarts does not mean you are allowed to read the letters from your friends. And you think I'd let you go outside to see your friend?! He might as well be dead already along with the people of Hawthorne!"

"But Mother, I—"

"How dare you talk back!" Gothel had raised her hand to hit Rapunzel, but paused and decided to save it for later.

Rapunzel had always wondered if the neighbours had ever heard her mother yell at her. It was late and all the torches of Corona in the distance had dimmed. It wasn't like the neighbours were helpful for Rapunzel's situation of being confined in her own house.

Rapunzel had spoken to one of the men living next door behind her mother's back. She asked him about the world outside and wanted to know more about Corona. The man was kind and often made food for Rapunzel, like the apple pie, which he taught to her later on. But when the situation diverted into her ambition of seeing the outside world, the man's reply would go along the lines of:

 _Stay, Rapunzel. This house is the safest place from the dangers of the world._

"Stop staring at your mother like that! Did Hogwarts teach you to be rude?!" Gothel stormed into Rapunzel's room and Rapunzel could hear that her mother was scavenging through her personal belongings. Gothel re-entered the kitchen with something in her hand.

"What do we have here? Must have been charmed to make you ignorant."

"Mother, no, please!" pleaded Rapunzel, "that's a gift from Jack." It was the pink hoodie Jack gave to Rapunzel. It might've been the last thing that could preserve her memories of Jack.

"Let me guess, it's from your dead friend. I guess there's no use for it any more," said Gothel, holding the hoodie over a lit candle.

"Mother, no!" Rapunzel fell off her chair and was on her knees, crying as the gift from Jack incinerated in front of her on the tiled floor.

Rapunzel didn't hear the laughter of Gothel; instead, she focussed on the sound of the fire, destroying the hoodie. Gothel bent down in front of Rapunzel and whispered, "Don't ever ask to leave this house… again." Rapunzel didn't answer while she let her mother wipe off the tears with a cloth.

There was knocking on the door and Rapunzel stood up. The number one rule for visitors was for Rapunzel to stay inside her room until they left. Gothel grabbed the burnt gift and threw it into Rapunzel's room.

Inside the locked room, Rapunzel quickly got the art kit from Hiccup and hid it deep within the cupboards so her mother wouldn't destroy it next. Merida's star chart was then concealed behind the mirror, where she was originally going to hide her letter to Hogwarts.

Rapunzel sat up on her bed and Pascal curled into her lap, acting as her emotional support. She remembered what she saw on the letters from Hiccup and Merida, both of them explaining the horrors that happened to Jack and his family. It was this information that made her confident that her mother would allow her to see Hiccup and Merida, or to see if Jack had somehow survived the destruction of Hawthorne.

The people who visited her home remained a mystery for Rapunzel, resulting in her to imagine how they looked and why they visited. One voice was deep and raspy while the other sounded young, like a young adult. Rapunzel tried ignoring the voices because the last time she tried to listen turned into a fatal mistake. Instead, she wept for the loss of her friend.

* * *

The next afternoon, within the walls of Corona and not far from Rapunzel's house, Flynn was attempting to use the Levitation Charm to show off to everyone from the orphanage. His spell didn't seem to work because the table did not budge.

On his second attempt, one of the orphans noticed that the spell was in action the whole time. When they looked underneath the table, they saw that it was floating a few centimetres above the tiled floor.

"I swear it was a lot better the last time I did it," remarked Flynn.

"It actually _does_ make sense, Flynn. Have you forgotten that magic is weakened the further you are from England?"

Flynn turned and saw that is was Elsie, the owner of the orphanage.

"Were you watching the whole time?" asked Flynn.

Elsie laughed for a short while but reverted her expression back to the serious face that she always used when Flynn was in trouble.

"We need to talk in private."

Flynn left with Elsie and asked no questions. He was currently the oldest and the biggest troublemaker out of the bunch. All of the orphans were Squibs, which was why their families abandoned them. The orphans' details such as their family name and blood purity were all unknown. So far, only Flynn was the only one that wasn't a Squib. He ended up here for a different reason.

Even though he was the oldest, Flynn wasn't the first to be part of Elsie's orphanage. He was found outside the walls of Corona, with blood and serious gashes all over his body. When Elsie took Flynn to safety, all she heard from him was, "I ran away. I ran away." The forest around Corona was dangerous and full of hazards. There would be a very low chance for a lost toddler to survive.

As Flynn grew comfortable in the orphanage, he wanted to become an inspiration to the other orphans and to prove how Elsie's nurturing made him a better person. Despite being close towards everyone at the orphanage, he never explained what happened before Elsie found him. Elsie had always assumed he 'ran away' from home after being poorly treated by his guardians, until one incident made him relive the past.

Five years after finding the infant, an invasion at Corona commenced, where many palace guards and potioneers died in the endgame. From what many people saw, the attack wasn't targeted towards the King and Queen of Corona; instead, the attackers only wanted to kill and raid Corona's potion supply. Rumours of the Dark Weapon's return also rose after that event. The captured invaders ended their lives to avoid interrogation, but this event wasn't a loss for Flynn because he opened up to Elsie, revealing that his parents were in fact murdered in front of him and he ran away from the killers.

Flynn stood in Elsie's office and waited as she pulled out some files. "I'm not in trouble, am I? I promise that all I did was sit on the train and then the boat, nothing else."

"You were supposed to get off the train at King's Cross and use the Floo Network, but that wasn't why I wanted to speak to you privately. You can breathe now because you're not in trouble. It's just, ever since you left to have an education at Hogwarts, I was just getting bugged by many people who wanted to adopt you," said Elsie, laying down two files.

Flynn saw that the two sheets of paper had an almost identical layout, only that they had different details filled in.

"In front of you are two worthy candidates. I wanted for you to decide whom _you_ want to be with. Your first option is a male potioneer named Mr Birkin. He works within the inner walls of Corona and is married to a palace guard, meaning that his family is wealthy. The other option is a strange man who didn't give his last name. He's from Ireland and only went by the name of Zi—"

"None," said Flynn straight up.

"None?! You… don't want to be adopted?"

"I'm happy the way things are. The kids here—they need me," said Flynn with pleading eyes.

Elsie was silent and nodded afterwards. "Okay, I'll cancel the requests—but if you ever change your mind, tell me."

"I will," replied Flynn. He didn't like the idea of leaving with these people. If they really wanted to adopt him, they would've done it sooner. He knew they wanted him for his blood purity. Elsie on the contrary took care of him during his darkest moments and unconditionally cared for him, not knowing he was a wizard.

"There's one more thing you should know. I thought sharing both the good and bad news would work, but somehow the good news became irrelevant." Elsie took a deep breath before continuing. "Yesterday there was an attack at a town called Hawthorne, located in North America. It may not sound important until I tell you that one of the victims was Jackson Overland. I presume that you know him? He was in your year level."

Flynn was stunned. "Is he all right?"

"Yes, he was rescued by Professor North who used his Semblance to travel between continents. This morning, while you were on the Dusk Boat, there were crowds of people creating panic when the story was published on the Daily Prophet. Luckily the King and Queen reassured that they aren't in danger."

* * *

The empyreal sky was now a battlefield for the berserk and the trained. The Whispering Death dragons covered the sun, blocking the light shining over Berk. Whispering Deaths were dragons of the Boulder Class, having no trouble boring through the land by spinning their rotating jaws. These dragons were dreaded with spikes all over their legless bodies and haunted many children with their serpentine appearance.

Astrid was using her axe to sever the harnesses and ropes that were tangling the dragons. They needed as much firepower they could find to fend off the dragons from Outcast Island. The adults' jobs were to be part of the fight, whereas the adolescents' priorities were to extinguish wildfires and protect helpless dragons.

Astrid noticed that Hiccup was at the foundry, keeping busy with all the armours and weapons essential for the battle. He had attempted to fight off the Whispering Deaths, but his powerful Fire-Making Charms were reduced significantly and the dragons were unaffected. But Astrid _did_ notice something about Hiccup the moment before he evaded the Whispering Death's rings of fire. Hiccup fired a spell at the dragon without any hesitation, ignoring the consequences. Was Hiccup so confident that he ignored his fears?

"Decided to hit iron with me?" asked Hiccup when Astrid came to fetch the others some shields.

"Hiccup, stop hurting yourself like that. You fired a spell at a Whispering Death, and you know what I saw?"

"A coward who forgot about magic being weakened on Berk and the information that dragon scales ward off magic? Please, I'm sure that I'll be able to take on dragons in the future now that I'm ready," said Hiccup.

"I saw a fearless Viking who didn't forget that we all fight no matter what the odds were."

Hiccup took a deep breath but didn't take her seriously. She was probably feeling sorry for him.

"Look, Astrid, this isn't about me being brave to make my dad proud anymore."

"Then what is it about?" queried Astrid.

"Jack," replied Hiccup. "I could've seen him yesterday if I wasn't so scared of dragons. I'd be able to fly one all the way to St Mungo's Hospital, where Jack is right now with Professor North. If Jack's life is in danger by a dragon next time, how would I be able to protect him? If he was in danger by something outside of Hogwarts and my only choice of weapon was a dragon, how would I be able to use it?"

"I don't know," said Astrid. She heard something along with Hiccup too. There were sounds like a lot of people mumbling or whispering underground.

 _The whisper._

"Get out!" yelled Astrid as she grabbed Hiccup and heaved the both of them out the foundry.

The ground behind them caved in while the foundry collapsed. All the weapons and materials required were lost in rubble.

"What was—" Hiccup was stopped by Astrid's palm covering his mouth.

"Shut up if you want to survive," whispered Astrid.

There was a Whispering Death above them, unable to see them due to its blind spot. The dragon slithered away and Astrid slowly reached for a shield nearby. The sound alerted the Whispering Death and it made a loud screech. They both made a run for it.

"Are you going to fight or not?" asked Astrid.

"You know I can't."

"Then go find safety while I handle this thing."

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins joined in to help Astrid. Some day, Hiccup would be like them, helping his friends and taking on ferocious dragons like this one.

* * *

There wasn't a sound to be heard when Jack regained consciousness. He wasn't dead, that's for sure. His very own breathing was heavy as he observed the room. It felt like that moment when he had a head injury because the chains of the playground swing somehow fell apart. Almost the same empty room along with the people pacing across the hallway like they were in a maze.

Jack slowly got up but felt something attached to him. A tube that connected his arm to an IV bag prevented him from leaving the room, unless he pulled out the tube, which he didn't want to risk. He then remembered the events that took place at Hawthorn. He was suffocating in the fog and North saved him. Jack wanted to know what happened to his family. He grabbed onto the tube and was ready to rip the pipe out of his vein.

The door opened before Jack was successful. North walked in and was relieved.

"Welcome back, Jack." North sat on the chair next to the bed.

"Where am I? Where are my parents and Emma?"

"You're at St Mungo's Hospital. You were lucky that I found you before any more toxins entered your body," said North. "We've gone through the bodies and so far we haven't found your family yet. I'm sorry, Jack, but there was no way they could've survived the smoke."

Jack didn't say anything yet. He was trying to believe that it was all a dream. He never got to see them again.

North couldn't see how the boy was feeling. Jack turned away from North and covered his face with his fists, allowing the sobs to be muffled. North wanted to touch Jack's shoulder, telling him that it was going to be okay, but it wasn't.

The professor was about to leave to let Jack have some privacy. When he stood up, he saw more of Jack's face. In Jack's fist, North saw a bracelet being held against Jack's forehead with tears running down his cheeks.

"I'll get you something to eat," said North.

"What happens to me now?" asked Jack. He revealed his face and the tears were still streaming.

"I don't know, Jack. For now you'll stay here, where you'll be safe. We might try to find someone who can take you in when your first year ends."

"Who did this? Who would do something like this?!"

" _That,_ we are trying to figure out. It can't be a coincidence that all these rumours of the Dark Weapon were coming the same time Hawthorne was destroyed."

"But I don't get it! Why is the Dark Weapon doing this?!"

"Their enemies were wizards. They wanted to rid the world of wizards where everyone would become equals. The rumours were that the Dark Weapon wanted to make sure all the wizards were contained in one place, so they could commence their plans—if they had any. If there were any targets outside their crosshairs, then they'd eliminate the target before there were too many to count."

"Then, it's all my fault. I should have never gone to Hogwarts." Jack felt lifeless and didn't want to forgive himself for that. Leaving his family to learn magic and then never seeing them after that. It was like he left them behind to die.

"No, it isn't your fault. You mustn't think like that, Jack. These are only rumours and we have no evidence about the Dark Weapon yet." North thought about it and deep down he blamed himself for Jack's hardship. Was he not discrete when reaching out for Jack? If he wasn't careful, then John Wan's family would be in danger too. "I'll be on my way then. Hang in there, Jack."

Jack stared at the ceiling and wondered how long he was out for. There was a lot of laughter and cheering down the hallway, as if a miracle had arrived. Somehow he knew what today was. It was the first Christmas without his family. He planned to spend all the Christmases with them, but now it was impossible.

Jack thought about the Dark Weapon. Why him? He knew for sure that there were other students from Hogwarts who were not from Europe. A voice then echoed in his head.

 _Jackson. Do not go back home to Hawthorne._

Jack slowly got up and remembered those exact words. The person who was insisting for Jack to stay back at Hogwarts knew something about this, because he knew what was coming for Jack.

"He knew where I was from."


	18. Absolution

The entirety of the winter break had concluded. Families all over the world celebrated Christmas and the commencement of the year 2494. Students gathered back onto the Hogwarts Express, ready for what the school had to offer them for the remainder of the year before their exams.

At 10:52 am, Jack was already in an empty compartment, waiting silently and hoping nobody would bother him about what happened in December. It was useless because rumours relating to the Dark Weapon could spread like a virus. The newspaper for wizards called the Daily Prophet had already published the story about Hawthorne, and now all the students and professors knew that Jack was the only survivor.

The train began moving when the clock reached 11:00 am. The door slid open and Jack sighed, as he knew what conversation was in store for him.

"Jack?" asked one of the students.

Jack looked up and saw Hiccup and Flynn, watching him with great concern.

"You know what, guys? I can't do this," said Jack, standing up and getting ready to leave until Flynn stopped him.

"Hey, hey, wait," said Flynn while grabbing onto Jack's shoulder. "First of all, ignoring your friends and avoiding the topic of Hawthorne isn't going to help. Believe me, I know how painful it is."

Jack took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine," replied Jack curtly, sitting back down, "but I don't understand why you're here. We've spoken only a few times, so I never expected to see _you_ trying to help."

"You're right, but I figured that you'd do something similar to me when I lost my parents," said Flynn.

"You said you knew how painful it was. Are you able to tell us how? If that's okay with you," said Hiccup, taking a seat next to Jack.

"Sure, I was five when it happened. We went out for a morning stroll in the forest outside of Corona, my mum, my dad, and me. I saw us as the 'perfect family', until a gang of bandits crossed our paths. They wanted our belongings, and planned to take my mother and I away from my dad. Of course, none of us wanted that, so we resisted and my mum ended up getting killed before any of us could react. The worst part came when they tried to kill me with a dagger. My dad came to the rescue and shielded me against the tree, unfortunately their daggers were too short to touch me."

"Unfortunately?" asked Jack.

"I was a coward, helpless as my dad was dying beside me with blood pouring everywhere. The dagger wasn't too long to go through my dad to touch me, but I wished I was gone with him that very moment. I took the flight response out of fear when I knew he was dead. I quickly climbed up the tree and noticed that they couldn't get near me. They threw rocks and some landed a clean hit, scraping my skin. They eventually got bored and left me alone, seeing the corpses of my mum and dad. When I climbed back down, it was all a trap and I ran as fast as I could without turning around. That was when I met Elsie, the owner of the orphanage I'm at now. She's taken care of me ever since." Flynn didn't tear up at all, which surprised the two. "I always blamed myself for their deaths."

"But why? There was nothing you could do," said Hiccup.

"Exactly. I assume you're thinking the same too, Jack? You blame yourself for that incident."

Jack nodded, "But it's different. You couldn't have done anything. If I was never born, or if I wasn't a wizard, Hawthorne wouldn't be a victim of the Dark Weapon."

"That's who you think are responsible?" asked Flynn.

"Yes, and Xander is also to blame."

"Xander? I'm not saying you're wrong, but don't you think a first year student responsible for mass murder sounds impossible?"

"No, Flynn, I don't. Remember what I told you, Hiccup? He was trying to get me to stay at Hogwarts. He even knew that I was from Hawthorne without me telling him."

"It _does_ add up, but it could also be coincidental," said Hiccup. "Don't worry, Jack. We'll get to the bottom of this—just how do you plan on confronting Xander?"

"I don't know. It's not like I'd get the answer anyway. So, where's Rapunzel and Merida?" asked Jack.

"In case you forgot, Merida is at Hogwarts. Rapunzel's with Anna like last time. She told me that she was ashamed to see you," replied Hiccup.

"Ashamed?" he asked.

"When she learnt about Hawthorne, she wanted to see you but her mother stopped her. That's all she said. I couldn't see you because, well, the only way to travel off Berk was by a dragon."

"You're not allowed to use the Portkey to Arendelle?" Jack raised his eyebrow.

"I tried, but Gothi, the village elder, used a spell to disable the magic. She didn't want people accidentally touching the shield, and the twins were always up to no good. I asked her about it but she wasn't too pleased with the idea."

"What did she say?" asked Jack.

"Nothing. Literally nothing."

* * *

The train made it to Hogwarts before dinner began. Of course, it was up to the students if they wanted to eat or unpack their belongings; nobody forced them to choose.

Jack chose to stay in his dormitory. All the students would probably stare at him and create a scene if he showed up at the Great Hall. He didn't want to hear it from anyone, especially from Dagur. Tomorrow was when the normal class schedules restarted. He hoped it would be that way.

At the Great Hall, Merida waited anxiously for her friends to arrive. She was delighted to see them when they entered the Great Hall. She even got off her seat and hugged both Rapunzel and Hiccup.

"I've missed you two!" said Merida. "Did Jack even come back?"

"He did. He said he wasn't hungry. Obviously he wasn't telling the truth," said Hiccup, sitting on the Slytherin table with MacGuffin following.

Here they were, enjoying the meals prepared by the elves in the kitchen, while students began gossiping about Jack.

"Is Jack all right?" asked Rapunzel.

"I don't even know. He lost his entire life before Hogwarts," said Hiccup.

"Can't imagine what he's going through." MacGuffin said worriedly.

They turned to MacGuffin, confused to where his other friends were.

"Where's Macintosh and Dingwall?" asked Hiccup.

"Didn't want to eat."

Rapunzel surveyed the room and saw Xander and Yang heading to Hufflepuff table. Next to them were John and Lily. She knew Xander and Yang were friends, but didn't expect John and Lily. Since when were they acquainted?

"Rapunzel," Hiccup called calmly, "Jack thinks Xander was involved with the attack."

"What? How?" asked Rapunzel. MacGuffin and Merida were also intrigued.

"He was always trying to convince Jack to stay at Hogwarts and even mentioned Hawthorne. Jack never told many people where he was from."

"It might be a bit of a stretch, but it's possible considering what we've seen him do with magic," she said, holding Pascal in her hand.

"True, but magic doesn't work beyond England," said Merida.

"Trainbrokedown—remember?" It was hard to understand MacGuffin, but they got the idea.

"Why would Xander sabotage the Hogwarts Express if Jack was the target?" asked Merida.

"Because he was protecting him," said Hiccup. "Think about it. If Xander wanted Jack to stay at Hogwarts, then he wanted to prevent something happening to Jack. If Jack didn't listen, then he'd try to delay whatever was approaching Jack."

"If the train never broke down, Jack would've died?" said Rapunzel.

"I don't know for sure. If it was true, then Xander would still be held accountable because he knew about the destruction of Hawthorne before it happened."

"What if he could see the future?" asked Rapunzel.

"Possible, but normally seeing the future is vague, and I doubt Xander is a seer."

Merida could hear a lot of conversations nearby. All of them were about Jack.

"These people just think they know Jack after what happened to him," said Merida.

* * *

The week began to the way Jack wanted it to. He was the first out of the four to be at the tables, waiting for others to arrive. Many students who were already in the Great Hall watched Jack and spoke about his home. He did his best to block out the voices.

Hiccup came first since his common room was close, then Merida, and then Rapunzel. Rapunzel was nervous to see him; he didn't look traumatised or different. She didn't sit and only stared back at Jack.

"Rapunzel?" asked Merida. "You can sit down now."

Jack stood up and hugged her; she needed something to tell her that he was all right.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," cried Rapunzel.

"Don't worry about me." Jack knew Rapunzel was the one who took things seriously. The horrors Jack went through wouldn't hurt someone like Rapunzel, let alone scar her, but letting it happen to someone close to her was unbearable.

The two sat down and tried to talk about things that would've been normal. Jack looked at Merida and noticed something glittering silver on her neck.

"New necklace?"

"Oh, right. I got this from… I got this during the winter break," said Merida, carefully omitting the part about her mother giving it to her as a gift. "I saw it at Diagon Alley but left it because I didn't bring enough money, but here it is now."

"A necklace was worth a lot for a princess?"

"It wasn't exactly the necklace, just the pendant," she pulled out the necklace and showed them the simple yet elegant triangular-shaped crystal.

"I get the feeling not many noticed the necklace or there was nobody to show it to. How was staying back at Hogwarts anyway?" asked Hiccup.

"Too much of nothing. And yes, not many people were around to talk to," said Merida. "Actually, I think you all need to know this. My mother is having triplets. Three boys."

"Really?! That's wonderful news!" Rapunzel said.

"Maybe… Maybe not, my mother might make a few lectures about being a better role model for them. Maybe she'd let people care for the boys while she remains concentrated on lecturing me." Merida groaned and covered her face with her arms. She forgot that she was talking about her mother in front of Jack, so this was the best way to stop.

"How was Berk? Fight any dragons?" asked Jack.

"Oh it was great. I managed to take down a few Whispering Deaths with some of my spells."

"Spells? I thought they don't work on Berk," said Rapunzel.

"It was a joke—half true though. I forgot that magic was weakened and nearly got roasted," he admitted.

Merida peeked from her arms and saw that the Great Hall was finally full, but luckily Xander wasn't around. She thought about it and wondered if Xander was avoiding Jack. He was there when Jack wasn't, and wasn't there when Jack was.

* * *

Before Charms class, the students gathered outside in the corridors to wait for Professor North. He wasn't late; they were just early, eager to learn from him after a while.

Jack had Potions with the Ravenclaws before. Everyone was acting nicer to him and told him that they were there for him. Anna was like Rapunzel and felt like she was responsible in some way because she wasn't able to see him during the break. The mob that gathered around the gates to Arendelle castle was dispersed after her mum and dad spoke to them. That was when Anna learnt about Hawthorne.

When Jack and Merida almost reached the class, Merida paused. She had hoped this situation didn't occur this early because she knew what Jack was going to do when he sees Xander.

Xander was talking to Yang, which was odd because she wasn't in their Charms class. Maybe she wanted to talk with Xander during her free periods.

Jack saw Xander and didn't say anything.

"Jack?" asked Merida, making sure everything was okay. It wasn't.

Jack approached Xander when Yang left, staring at him for answers.

"What is it?" asked Xander.

Jack was tired of this and grabbed Xander by the collar. His push sent Xander against the wall, almost in a position to choke a victim. The students backed away, fearing it would be dangerous even for them. Jack was trying to be prepared before Xander got the better of him. He took out his wand and pointed it to Xander's face, threatening him to give his family back.

"Jack, please, he isn't worth it," said Merida.

"No! He's guilty and has a lot to answer! You've been keeping me away from my family all this time and decided to kill them when I wanted to see them again. Do you have any idea what you've done to me?! It's all your fault!"

"Listen to your friend. She knows as well as I do that nothing is going to end well if you do not stand down," said Xander. He never flinched or showed any weakness when Jack threatened him, almost like everything was still going as planned if he really was the culprit.

"Jack, put down the wand." Jack turned and saw Astrid. He didn't know why nobody was on his side. Flynn and Christopher, the other Gryffindor, also joined in to tell him to stop. Everyone was lying to Jack all this time; they said they were sorry for his loss and now they were against him. They were all probably pretending to be his friend, when in reality they secretly despised him because he was a Muggle-born.

"It's your fault they are dead." Jack refused to lower his wand and was ready to fire a spell.

"Energius Reducto!" The pause kept everyone silent. There was no spell that came from Jack's wand, which raised confusion.

"Your Core Magic will not unlock if you never really wanted it to. It means you know that I am not your enemy and you really do not intend to hurt me. Your friends are here too and you know that they are right as well."

Jack saw his friends and the fear in their eyes. He released Xander and ran off, ignoring his friends trying to call him back. Xander too, left the corridor before Professor North arrived.

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was empty, which was perfect for Jack. Sure there were a few students who occasionally entered, but they all minded their own business. The only time when a lot of people would enter would be after the bell rang, where students would flock in order to pack their books away. Maybe staying in his dormitory where there would be only him, Tuffnut, Snotlout, Christopher, and William was a better option.

Jack began fiddling with the band around his wrist. He didn't know if he was ever going to be able to go back home. The bracelet was the last reminder of his family. His sister had put a lot of effort to craft this for Jack because she knew he would miss them; but now, he was going to miss them forever.

Jack couldn't hold back the tears anymore. At least he was able to hide it when he was with Merida and the others. The first tear cascaded down as the rest followed it, pouring all over his cheeks and falling off his chin.

He calmed himself down and went in his dormitory. The bell had rung and he wanted to avoid everyone. Luckily none of the Gryffindors entered the room he rested. He was planning to not leave the common rooms until the next day, even though he had History of Magic after lunch today with Hiccup. He'd have to explain to Hiccup why he was absent the next time they met, which would be tomorrow in Transfiguration.

Jack caught something moving underneath the furniture. It was small and quick, so he assumed that it was a mouse. The movements of the creature were different from a mouse. Jack had searched the room and finally cornered the creature. The creature was thin and slender, almost an orange colour. It was a lizard.

"Hey there, little guy." Jack held his hand out and it cautiously approached him. It was undoubtedly intelligent.

Jack sat on the floor and played with the lizard for a few minutes before talking to it.

"I don't suppose you'd know what I should do?" The lizard did not answer, which disappointed Jack. This place was magical and the one creature he found was ordinary, just like him.

"My friends don't like me. The Slytherins don't like me. And even the professors don't. North was probably lying to me and knew the truth about the destruction of home. Maybe they thought I couldn't believe, even if that was the one thing I tried to do here."

The lizard leaped off of his hand and ran out the dormitory. It seemed to have understood what he said, but didn't answer.

"I guess you were magical after all."

* * *

History of Magic started without Jack. Hiccup was already aware of what had happened three hours ago with Jack and Xander; Merida was very thorough with the details. And here he thought his problems were worse. Being scared of dragons did not outweigh the feeling of feeling lost and lonely.

"Hey, Hiccup," said Kristoff. "Jack isn't here?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard. Jack nearly attacked Xander and is now in his common room, not wanting to come out," he said, marking strange symbols around his parchment.

Professor Toothiana entered the classroom and began teaching without a single delay. She started the topic about the recent invasion at Corona in the year 2492, and how violence and war impacted on individuals as well as the entire world.

"How _was_ Jack before that anyway?" whispered Kristoff who decided to sit on the table next to Hiccup's.

"I don't know. He was… fine I guess."

"How did Jack guess it was Xander anyway?"

"Xander said things to try to not get Jack to go back home, which was odd in Jack's eyes."

Hiccup and Kristoff heard the sound of a chair being pushed back behind them. They saw Yang standing up from her seat and leaving the classroom with hardly any effort. Toothiana was so preoccupied explaining theories and stories that she didn't notice what was going on.

"Where's Yang going?" asked Hiccup.

"Not sure, but I don't think Toothiana noticed anything." Kristoff slowly stood up and even though Toothiana faced the students, she didn't seem to be bothered with Kristoff.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup was trying to avoid getting into trouble.

"We need to see where she's headed. She's a friend of Xander, right?"

Hiccup agreed with what Kristoff said. Yang left when they spoke about Xander and Jack, and she was close enough to have heard them. Hiccup got up and they both left the classroom. Hopefully that didn't give anyone ideas; a movement would've begun, which Toothiana would have definitely noticed.

The two followed Yang and tried to be stealthy. Every step and breath was carefully executed in order to avoid being detected. Yang was heading to the dungeons and ended up in an empty Potions classroom. Kristoff and Hiccup waited at the door, peeking in to see what she was up to.

Yang took out a glass sphere, staring at it ominously. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins had Transfiguration, so there was nobody else in the room but her.

"Xander Yates and Jackson Overland, three hours ago," said Yang. Hiccup and Kristoff hid their heads so she didn't see them at the door. They thought she noticed them and was talking to them at that very moment.

"Nothing? Xander Yates and Jackson Overland, three hours and fifteen minutes ago." There was silence again, but Yang didn't say anything else. Hiccup looked over to Kristoff and he shrugged his shoulders, exchanging the face of confusion.

"Jack?" It was a girl talking and it sounded familiar to Hiccup. That Scottish accent gave it away; it was Merida's.

"What is it?" asked another voice.

"You took my family away from me. You told me to not leave Hogwarts many times already. I know you're behind this—now give them back!" It was Jack's voice.

"Jack, please, he isn't worth it," said Merida.

"No! He's guilty and has a lot to answer! You've been keeping me away from my family all this time and decided to kill them when I wanted to see them again. Do you have any idea what you've done to me?! It's all your fault!"

"Listen to your friend. She knows as well as I do that nothing is going to end well if you do not stand down."

"Jack, put down the wand." Hiccup had known Astrid's voice ever since he was little.

"Stop it, Jack."

"Just put down the wand."

There was dead silence, so Hiccup and Kristoff took another peek. Yang's glass sphere was shining a strange light, but they were too far to see what she was looking at inside the globe. Their best guess was that she was looking into the past, something he never knew was possible.

"It's your fault they are dead," said Jack. "Energius Reducto!" Jack was breathing heavily, but nothing happened, which Hiccup already knew.

"Your Core Magic will not unlock if you never really wanted it to. It means you know that I am not your enemy and you really do not intend to hurt me. Your friends are here too and you know that they are right as well."

There were now footsteps audible before the quietness returned. They heard Yang sigh and say, "What a let down. I thought it was more intense. Unless I misheard what they said." They saw Yang lift up the orb and speak again. "Hiccup Haddock and Kristoff Bjorgman, nineteen minutes ago."

Hiccup and Kristoff were petrified and remained hidden, anticipating what happened next.

"—nearly attacked Xander and is now in his common room, not wanting to come out."

"Okay class, welcome back and I hope you all had a wonderful break. Today we're starting the topic of war—"

"Three minutes forward," said Yang. She did not want to hear Toothiana's speech again.

"—don't know. He was… fine I guess."

"How did Jack guess it was Xander anyway?"

"Xander said things to try to not—"

Kristoff tapped Hiccup on the shoulder and left, leading the way back. They were unsettled with what Yang was capable of. What if she saw them, spying on her in the present?

* * *

"So Jack's not here yet?" asked Rapunzel.

"Yet? I bet he's not showing his face today." Merida replied.

"Should we ask for someone to check up on him?" asked Hiccup.

"Who out of the Gryffindors would want to sacrifice their dinner for Jack?" asked Merida, raising an eyebrow.

"You're right. I know Flynn would but he's in Slytherin." Hiccup searched for a worthy candidate; it was no use.

"You wanted to tell us something, Hiccup," said Rapunzel.

"That's right. I was going to wait until Jack came, but I guess he isn't. Anyway, Kristoff and I followed Yang to the dungeons when we had History of Magic. Toothiana didn't seem to notice, even when we got back. Yang was able to do something with this glass orb she owns; it lets her see the past."

"How did you find out?" asked Merida.

"She was watching the time when Jack almost attacked Xander. We heard your voices."

"What about the future?" asked Rapunzel.

"I'm not sure. It's possible for people to be able to see the future, but I'm not sure if Yang possesses that ability as well."

"Could it be that she's the seer? The one who's providing the information to Xander? That would prove his innocence and explain how he knew." Merida said.

"We don't know if she can see the future, but in time we might."

* * *

Jack was asleep when the students went to the Great Hall for dinner. He was in a peaceful dream with his family, but was interrupted by the footsteps nearby, coming from the stairs that led to his dormitory.

"Jack?" asked the mysterious voice.

Jack didn't reply. Instead, he got up and waited for the person to come into view; it was Nod.

"Did Hiccup or the others tell you to see me?" asked Jack.

Nod shook his head. "No, I came on my own."

"You came on your own to share your own tragic story?"

"Yes, and since you're feeling very depressed today, I won't take any offense with what you just said. So sit still and listen." Nod sat on a chair nearby. "I was an orphan when I was little. Frondman took me in and taught me how to be responsible by myself. He wasn't around all the time since he had to teach at Hogwarts, so I had a lot of freedom. I do not recall making the best choices, but joining Hogwarts when I was given the chance was the best one yet."

"What's your point?" asked Jack.

"Choose the correct path before it's too late. You made a good one by coming here to Hogwarts. Don't put it to waste."

* * *

Pitch's office was poorly lit, dimly covered in an eerie tint of green. It was located in the dungeons so transporting potion ingredients to classrooms wasn't an inconvenience.

Pitch and Ingrid were the only ones in the office, discussing issues about the Headmaster and the recent event at Hawthorne. Their main reason was waiting for the reply from their boss.

"It's late. My crow returned aeons ago," said Ingrid.

"Now, now, Ingrid. He was halfway across the world in China, so the reply should be here next week at the latest. But I predict it will come today. I can sense it. Your crow only had to travel to London to the Dunbroch household."

The benefit of using the Black Sand to deliver messages was that it could travel in concealed areas such as pipes and chimneys. The only flaw was when it got spotted; suspicion would immediately be raised.

There was a mystifying sound around the room. "Right on time," said Pitch.

Black particles surrounded the room as if poison filled the air. It reformed into a horse and Pitch shoved his hand into the creature's ribs, destroying it and revealing a letter.

"So? What's his reply? Are we preparing for war?"

"It's been a long time since we had a battle like Year X. The million dollar question is: Whose side do we stand on this time?"


	19. Dusk Studies

On Jack's timetable, there was something new. He would've heard about it if he hadn't been reluctant to talk to his friends yesterday. It was now Tuesday afternoon and Jack had finished a single period of Transfiguration and a double of Herbology before lunch. Usually, he'd have the rest of the day free of classes after lunch, except this time, where an extra subject was added to his new timetable.

Dusk Studies was all it said, along with the classroom number. Based on his intuition, it was about Dusk and its technology. It would explain why Anna was in a very good mood today in Herbology; Professor Moonhaven was even worried if she was exposed to a strange potion. Anna wasn't even going to have Dusk Studies until the next day.

Jack headed to the new class on his own. Hiccup was either lost or already there, so he didn't think about looking for him first; he was going to be late if he didn't make haste.

During the fifteen-minute break, Jack had asked people about this class, and his guess was correct. This class was specialised in the teachings of Dusk Technology, but since the topic was as simple as it was for general knowledge, only one period a week was enough. Professor Lunar had arranged proposals with the Ministry and the Arendelle family to make all this possible. This subject would help with the understanding of the Dark Weapon too, so Jack couldn't miss a single lesson if he wanted to get to the bottom of Hawthorne's destruction.

Jack found the classroom located on the third-floor. The maps and guides had told him that it was located on the second-floor, which confused Jack. The classroom was positioned near Professor Mansnoozie's office and it was the same classroom where he had Defence Against the Dark Arts.

As Jack had predicted, Hiccup was already in the classroom, waiting for more students to arrive. It was only the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors who had this class today. Rapunzel and Merida were going to have it on Wednesdays at the same time, which was 3:15 pm. To Jack, this subject as well as Flying felt like those extra curricular activities portrayed in American high schools.

Jack sat at the table next to Hiccup's. He hadn't explained why he was absent yesterday, feeling as if Hiccup already knew why he was not there in History of Magic. Merida was there with him when it happened, so the probability that Merida told him was high. The fact that Hiccup never asked about it was also a dead giveaway.

"So are you excited, Hiccup?" he asked.

"Yes, you knew I had some kind of interest when we met at Diagon Alley," replied Hiccup. "So far I'm not like my dad because he's not magical. My mum surpasses me in many aspects of magic, and she was able to ride dragons like my dad. Maybe Dusk Technology is what I'm capable of; it even works everywhere unlike spells."

"Dusk isn't magic?"

"It is, but it's like it has powers from another source. I'm not completely sure, so I hope that gets explained," said Hiccup, turning as the Dusk Studies professor arrived.

* * *

"Good afternoon, everyone," said the Dusk Studies professor. He was nervous because this was his first class, and his first time teaching.

Tsar Lunar had agreed to allow the teachings of Dusk, but there were many constraints. Firstly, it wouldn't be fair if the older students were forced to learn about Dusk too, so this curriculum was only introduced to the first years and future ones too. Secondly, there's not a lot to learn about in this subject, so it only needed one lesson per week; OWLs and NEWTs for this subject were also not required. Finally, not many people liked the idea of this being a subject, so students could drop this subject anytime when the year ended.

The students were mainly quiet, except for the few at the back. The new professor unrolled many scrolls until he found the right one. Clumsiness was the first impression he evoked.

"Today's your Dusk Studies class. My name's the 'Once-ler', so you can call me Professor Once-ler." The professor was wearing a long green tailcoat and had black hair. Besides the green gloves, he was the most mundane-looking professor in Hogwarts. No strange tattoos, no extreme coloured hair, no areas made up of sand, and no long beards. Was he immortal?

"So before we begin, does anyone here know about Dusk? For example the origins of the product?"

One hand rose up in an attempt to answer. It was Hiccup.

"Yes, Mr…" Professor Once-ler observed the unrolled parchment, "Haddock."

"Dusk comes from the ground. People dig up the crystals and carefully cut them. If they do it wrong, then it activates the Dusk and wastes the material," answered Hiccup.

"Correct. 5 points to Hufflepuff. Dusk is found in the earth because of other remnants of Dusk created in warfare. These particles grow over time, multiplying greatly as each year passes. Over 60% of today's Dusk Crystals were created by Year X."

Professor Once-ler started writing on the board, listing the seven types of Dusk Magic. Unfortunately he owned no coloured chalks to distinguish the types.

"Who here knows the seven colours of the rainbow? If you know it, then it'll help you memorise this as well. Here we have Red Dusk. It generates fire magic and it's one of the few types of fire that cannot be extinguished with the Water-Making Spell, also known as the Aguamenti Spell. Water found from anywhere else and from Dusk can douse the fires."

"Tailfire might like this information," thought Hiccup.

"Next is Orange Dusk. Orange generates lightning and is used in many of Arendelle's technology. It might become a better and renewable source of energy that can replace fossil fuels. Yellow exhibits the properties of the earth and can summon any type of rock or native metal."

Professor Once-ler placed three gems on the table and asked the students to gather around. The three gems were the ones he was talking about and he was ready to demonstrate the activation of Dusk Magic to the class.

"How do we activate a Dusk Crystal? Does anyone know the answer?" asked the Once-ler.

There was silence, as all the students didn't have a lot of experience with Dusk. If only Anna was in this class, then they'd be able to answer more questions.

"Break it?" said a student from behind Dingwall and Macintosh.

The students turned and were surprised that MacGuffin answered something even they never knew. It wasn't hard for him, considering he had witnessed a Green Dusk Crystal activating on Macintosh. He was glad that it happened, otherwise a fight between Macintosh and Merida would've been heated.

"Correct. Any type of crack or damage on the crystal will set it off immediately, which is dangerous when handled carelessly. You can activate these crystals just by throwing it on the ground too."

Macintosh had a flashback of the moment he got encased by the vines that day. He now realised how MacGuffin got the answer right. Professors had to cut down the plants in order to free him while nobody else could. He heard them mention something about a Dusk Crystal activating.

"But why? Can't we use a spell to activate it?" asked Astrid.

"If that was the case, then Arendelle Corp wouldn't have existed because they wouldn't be able to use the magic to extract the Dusk Magic. Dusk Crystals may be pretty and all, but the important part is what's _in_ the crystal itself. The cracking of the crystal acts as a gateway for the magic to escape, which is great in combat, but not safe when you're in close proximity. Dusk Powder is also rare and Arendelle Corp had managed to find a way to achieve this without destroying the magic within the gems. One unique quality of Dusk: It is completely immune towards magic."

The Once-ler had the students to back away from the table, as he was about to set off the Red Dusk Crystal.

"Don't worry, everyone. This crystal was finely cut down to the size of a pea, so the effect won't be catastrophic."

He gave the crystal a hard tap with an instrument from his coat. The crystal made a flash and the fire covered the table, setting off the pieces of Orange and Yellow Dusk Crystals. A dazzling display of rock, electricity, and fire danced above the table, causing an exclamation of wonder from the students.

Professor Once-ler had accomplished a mission: To keep the students interested. The class had ended and he gave them the task to find out the effects of Green, Blue, Indigo, and Magenta Dusk Crystals. Luckily for Hiccup, he knew what they already did, and so did Jack because of their conversation at Diagon Alley last year.

* * *

Students dispersed to different locations. Jack slowed his pace as he watched his friends progress down the hallway, unconsciously leaving him behind. Merida and Rapunzel were probably waiting for him and Hiccup when Dusk Studies ended.

"Deciding to go somewhere else?" said the professor.

Jack turned and saw the Once-ler, carrying scrolls with Kristoff.

"Maybe," replied Jack. He moved aside for the two to pass him.

"Just make sure you listen to what your friends tell you. In your situation, anger and fear could cloud your judgement."

Jack nodded and watched the professor and Kristoff leave. He had plenty of time to see his friends, but for now, he needed time on his own. The common room wasn't private to his liking. The best place for him would be a restricted area.

Jack walked down the stairs and eventually made his way to the dungeons. That place was a maze for him; therefore, he knew somehow he'd end up somewhere new. It was still cold in the dungeons of Hogwarts, even though the weather wasn't at its peak anymore. If there was a colder place than the dungeons, it would be Jack's house, when he waited with his mum and sister for their father to return. His mother and father worked endlessly, but only his mother would return early. The money they earned was enough for the family to survive. Their Christmases were cold, but their moments together warmed their hearts.

The memory of his friends leaving him after Dusk Studies warped, changing his perspectives as if they wanted to leave him. He knew he was overthinking things, exactly what Professor Once-ler had told him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was surprised how Hiccup spoke to him less compared to the times before leaving Hogwarts. He was beginning to feel that his irrational assumptions of his friends were becoming true.

He didn't want to blame his friends if they didn't like him. He too started feeling resentment towards himself, all because of his own status in the wizarding world.

Jack went back to his senses and saw that he was walking without even thinking about the route he wanted to take. This automatic walk he did sent him out of the dungeons and near the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower, where a breeze was calling to him up those steps.

* * *

Merida was relaxing herself in the library. She was with Rapunzel and they were waiting for Jack and Hiccup to join them when they finished Dusk Studies. The two girls had a lot of questions prepared for the boys. Anna had answers about Dusk, but she wouldn't know what the class was like since this subject had never been taught.

"So how was Jack in…" Merida was trying to remember Rapunzel's timetable for Tuesday.

"Herbology?" asked Rapunzel.

"That's right. Did you talk to him at all?"

"You didn't get to see him today?" asked Rapunzel.

"Not at all, except for breakfast."

"Well, he was fine today, but as usual he'd only talk to me if I started the conversation."

"I guess I'm going to have to talk to him more so he feels comfortable then. I see Astrid coming in with Heather. Hiccup and Jack must be arriving about now, unless they went in their common rooms." Merida said.

"Can't be. Hiccup said he wasn't going to bring any supplies except for the book you gave him as a present, and also the pencil he uses to draw and write," explained Rapunzel.

"I might get myself a pencil from the art club too. I can't be bothered taking a quill and ink to every class."

They then saw Hiccup coming, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. Hiccup was also showing a confused expression as he was searching the area for Jack.

"I thought Jack went ahead of me," said Hiccup. "I went back, but he wasn't at the Dusk Studies classroom." Hiccup placed the black book on the table and showed them the page of notes for Dusk Studies.

"Should we go find Jack?" asked Rapunzel.

"Maybe one of us should go, Rapunzel. I'm sure Jack would be most comfortable talking to you," said Merida.

"Are you sure? What will you do while I'm gone?"

"I think Hiccup has plenty to talk about, Dusk Studies in particular."

"All right. Hiccup, where was the Dusk Studies classroom?" asked Rapunzel.

"On the second-floor. It's the same class where we have Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Okay…" Rapunzel left with Pascal, knowing she'd probably not return if she was going to spend the rest of the time with Jack, unless he wanted to head back to the library.

* * *

Rapunzel kept Pascal close to her. Being a cold-blooded chameleon, the dungeon was not the best-suited environment for the reptile. Pascal barely appeared when it was winter at Germany.

The classroom was empty when Rapunzel got there, which was why she attempted to look for Jack in the dungeons. This place was cold, and out of her friends, Jack was most tolerant towards it. Unfortunately this area of Hogwarts was like a labyrinth, hiding the school's darkest secrets. It won't be long before she ended up finding a catacomb.

The young Ravenclaw didn't dare call out for Jack. She still feared the Slytherins, even though most were nice. She had heard Hiccup talk about one called Tailfire, who helped Hiccup master his Fire-Making Spell. There was also Heather who was the only friend of Merida from Slytherin, and how could Rapunzel forget that Merida was from Slytherin too?

There was movement nearby, and Rapunzel tensed all her muscles and Pascal hid behind her blonde locks. She slowly followed the noise, even though her instincts told her to run. But if Jack was in the dungeons with her, he'd follow the sound.

The sound didn't come from the corridors; instead, it was emerging from a classroom. Rapunzel had been to this classroom before. It was the one where Lily Sirène was brewing potions when Jack asked her to snoop around, and possibly the same one where Hiccup and Kristoff followed Yang.

"She can't still be here can she? Pascal?" Pascal gave her a shrug.

If Lily was still in that classroom, she would've brewed all the potions known to wizardkind. What could she possibly be doing?

To her expectations, Lily was there, but she wasn't alone. Rapunzel spotted John on the other side of the Potions classroom, building something very odd with strange vials of coloured sand.

"Hello?" asked Rapunzel. The two students noticed her, but only John reacted.

"Hey there, Rapunzel," greeted John. He placed the inscrutable object on the table and stood up, waving towards her direction.

"I'm… looking for Jack. Have any of you seen him by any chance?"

"Jack? The one from Gryffindor? Let me see… I think I saw him at Herbology today. Not sure where he went after that," said John, forgetting the fact that Rapunzel was also there in Herbology.

"I mean have you seen him now, but I'm guessing that's a no then."

"It's a no," replied John, returning to his personal project.

Rapunzel watched and described the object in her head. It was blue and there were blades. She figured he was assembling some kind of weapon. The vials of coloured sand began making sense to her. It was Dusk Powder.

"You're making a Dusk Weapon, aren't you?"

"That's right. They're the only things that keep me interested at Hogwarts."

"But how are you able to make one? Isn't it difficult?" she asked.

"Sure it's hard, but with a mind like mine and with help from Anna, it's completely possible," said John. "Before Hogwarts, I've been researching Dusk Technology. I was the top student in my elementary school that they bumped me to junior high school early, but my knowledge was at their level, so I wasn't any special besides my young age and being a wizard. I wanted to build a Dusk Weapon to prove how much I knew, and the closest area to sell Dusk was at China."

"Well that's a relief," said Rapunzel. "Imagine if the shop was many countries away. The trip wouldn't be worth it."

"What? Oh—that's right. It _was_ close. There was an area selling Dusk Technology two years ago, so I took that chance to go see it for myself."

"The Muggle world knows about Dusk?" asked Rapunzel.

"Yeah, but nobody bothers. That's what the world is like these days. They have no idea how to handle these substances. When they do, they somehow go bankrupt, probably because they didn't know how to handle finances. The Muggles see Dusk as a scientific phenomenon, which is why not many are interested about it."

"I see. So the shop that sold Dusk…"

"Was destroyed by mercenaries from the wizarding world. They didn't want these things spreading too much in the Muggle world. I think it's because wizards don't want Muggles stronger than them, which is stupid."

"That's unfortunate. You've been hiding this because you realised it was frowned upon at Hogwarts. Even I didn't know the reputation of Dusk in the wizarding world." Rapunzel said.

Rapunzel took notice of Lily and went to see what she was up to. As usual, she was brewing more potions. Rapunzel was surprised the cupboard wasn't overflowing with potions.

Rapunzel didn't bother asking Lily about her hobby of making potions. It probably would've been the same answer as John, that she had an interest before Hogwarts. These students didn't show off their abilities; they were doing all this in the shadows.

Lily grabs a vial similar to the ones John used for his Dusk Weapon. The vial was purple and Lily sprinkled some into a yellow potion, which Rapunzel couldn't help but ask.

"That's Purple Dusk Powder. Why are you adding Dusk Powder in a potion?" asked Rapunzel, feeling stupid.

Lily turned and began shaking the potion, mixing the contents and causing the yellow bottle to sparkle. The potion began twinkling like wind chimes, pleasant to the ear.

"Purple Dusk Powder lets this potion's effect happen when it touches the skin. Most potions only work if someone drinks it, unless I add in Purple Dusk."

"Purple Dusk Powder generates wind and air, so if she throws this potion, the contents will spread like a grenade," said John from across the room.

"So if you threw this potion at John then…?" Rapunzel was waiting for an answer as Lily was trying to think of one.

"It will explode and make John's hair raise up. It's the Hair-Raising Potion, but with an area effect when thrown," said Lily, slightly hesitating.

"Don't try it on me, guys. I work hard every morning doing my hair."

Rapunzel and Lily laughed. Despite their differences, John made things easier in terms of socialising; he was like the party animal in the room. Lily continued working on the yellow potion and Rapunzel could feel less tension in the air.

"I didn't learn this trick from Dusk Studies. Yang taught me it," said Lily. "She wasn't very good with it, so she passed the idea to me."

"Yang?" Rapunzel turned and stood straight up, petrified as two more students entered the classroom.

* * *

Yang and Xander watched the girl from Ravenclaw standing in 'their' classroom. They could see that she was frightened and she didn't know how to interact with them.

Yang looked at Xander and he shrugged his shoulders, not sure on how to deal with Jack's friend. Were they really that scary? John and Lily didn't notice. They were minding their own businesses, completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere.

"Why are you here?" questioned Yang.

"I—I'm looking for Jack," answered Rapunzel, watching as Yang slowly approached her.

"You're stuttering," remarked Yang. It was at that moment when Rapunzel began shivering because it all sounded familiar. John and Lily noticed and watched, as Rapunzel was about to break down. She felt pathetic.

"I—I—I'm sorry. I won't do it again." For some reason it wasn't Xander she wasn't scared of. It was Yang's intimidation all along.

"Hey, it's all right. If you're nervous then take a deep breath." Yang's tone did a full switch. Her previous tone was stern and intimidating, but now it was casual and comforting.

Rapunzel closed her eyes. After opening them, she turned to look at John and Lily, the two people she felt more comfortable with. They gave her a nod to let her know that she didn't have to put up any lines of defence in front of Xander and Yang. If Lily wasn't nervous around them, Rapunzel shouldn't have been either.

"You said you're looking for Jack? Well you're in luck." Yang whipped out a glass sphere out of her pocket and began speaking to it. Rapunzel remembered what Hiccup and Kristoff saw when they followed Yang.

"Jackson Overland, present." The orb lit up and an image was being formed. If Yang was openly showing Rapunzel her glass orb, then this wasn't a secret. Yang and Xander might have not been as shady as they seemed, but somehow they knew about Hawthorne, so Rapunzel still had to be cautious.

The image shown on the orb was of Jack sitting in a tower by himself. He was watching the view of the Hogwarts grounds, amazed with the landscape. It was like Jack was able to be happy on his own.

"How did you do that?" asked Rapunzel.

"My Semblance is 'doing' that." Yang grinned.

"Semblance?" Perhaps Rapunzel would learn something new if she spoke to Xander too.

"Every wizard has a Semblance, a unique ability. Kinda like a superpower. Most discover it when they're older, but you can find it early when you get to know yourself more."

"So I have one too?"

"Sure, but it might take years for you to discover that. Some people never find out," said Yang.

"So that orb isn't for seeing the future?"

"Nah, seers can, but not me. I've tried seeing the future, but it only works when I touch stuff. That's the same for a lot of novices but."

Rapunzel was about to leave, but she debated whether or not she should see Jack now that she knew where he was. Did he need someone with him at this time?

"Let me guess," said Xander, "you are wondering if it is a good idea to go see Jackson. It would appear that he was at peace from Yang's Prophecy Record, so maybe seeing him is a bad idea."

Rapunzel didn't want to find ways to argue with Xander. She knew he was right and she also wanted what was best for Jack.

"But…" continued Xander. "When you are in a situation of great despair, it is best that someone helps you, even if you do not want it. If you feel that your friend is lonely, you help him, no matter what."

It was odd hearing this from Xander. He had too much wisdom for a child that age, and it gave Rapunzel the courage to see Jack.

"Thank you," said Rapunzel.

"Anytime." Xander slightly bowed his head.

"Oh my gosh! What is that!" yelled Yang, startling Rapunzel, Lily, and John. She was pointing at Rapunzel like a bully pointing out the physical flaws of their victim.

Pascal appeared out of Rapunzel's hair and eyed the strangers with caution.

"This is Pascal, my pet chameleon." Rapunzel said, just in case they thought about keeping it.

"Can I hold him?" begged Yang. She was eager to touch the reptile, and Rapunzel had no reason to refuse.

"Okay, sure." Rapunzel placed Pascal on Yang's cupped hands. She was petting the chameleon and they were already bonding.

"At least he isn't shy. I saw this lizard the other day and it was always trying to run away from me." Yang allowed Pascal to crawl up her arm.

"A lizard? I haven't seen one around yet."

"Well it's bright orange, so you won't miss it if it _does_ appear," said Yang. "You know I have the ability to read an animal's mind?"

"You can? Is that another Semblance?"

"No, we can only have one Semblance. This is like a spell, but different. Wizards call it Legilimency. Muggles call it mindreading. Legilimency is taught at advanced levels and too bad for me, it only works on animals because people are so complicated to me." Yang held Pascal and attempted using it on him.

Rapunzel watched in silence as Yang mind read Pascal. Slowly, her bubbly face turned into a face of grim and fear.

"Is everything okay, Yang?" asked Xander.

"Sure, everything's fine. Pascal is very happy and loves you a lot, Rapunzel. You've cared for him the same amount since you've first met him, so keep that up." Yang handed Pascal back and reminded Rapunzel that she should go see Jack before he leaves.

Rapunzel finally left the room, and John and Lily resumed with their activities, disappointed that they didn't get to touch Rapunzel's pet. Yang remained standing with Xander, processing what happened just then.

"What did you see?" asked Xander.

"Such a sweet and innocent girl Rapunzel is. If we got to know her earlier, our lives would've changed for the better. She's happy with Pascal, but for years she's endured a life of suffering and abuse from her mother. I'm sure you can relate, Xander."

Xander was now feeling sympathy for Rapunzel. He then added, "She will be the best person next to Jackson then."

"And no wonder I sensed a strange vibe from her mother at Diagon Alley. I bumped into Rapunzel and saw a vision of Corona, so I assumed she was royalty."

"You cannot just assume someone from a kingdom is highly ranked. Many of us come from regular wizarding families," said Xander.

"I know, but most wizards like Anna and Merida are, and I saw their kingdoms everytime I make contact with them. I'm just more baffled over the fact that nobody has heard Rapunzel's mother yell at her in the kingdom."


	20. The Adversary

His time in solitude was over for now. Jack decided that it was best to go see his friends before they began worrying. He then realised that he had been gone for quite some time now, so why haven't his friends searched for him? He thought about being upfront with his suspicion that they didn't like him. He didn't want to become a burden to anyone who didn't want him around.

"Jack?" called a voice from the bottom of the spiral staircase. It was Rapunzel, who was almost out of breath.

"Rapunzel? What are you doing here?" asked Jack. He was feeling mixed emotions, a bit of relief and a bit of anger, but he didn't know where they derived from.

"Looking for you of course. You weren't at the library, so I wanted to see if you were all right. _We_ all wanted to see if you were all right."

"So why aren't they with you?" asked Jack.

"Are you really going to ask that? Merida said that it'd be easier if you only spoke to one of us. We all care, and I'm also surprised that other people I rarely talk to care too."

Jack had to rethink about his intentions before he'd do something rash again. Rapunzel didn't look like the type who'd hate someone. She wasn't like the rest of his friends; she was able to see the goodness in everybody, even in Xander.

"Sorry about that." said Jack.

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't that hard to find you anyway," she said.

"No, I'm sorry about something else." Jack lowered his head to express his guilt. "Before you jump into conclusions, put yourself in my situation."

Rapunzel waited until Jack was ready. Pascal also waited while sitting on Rapunzel's shoulder, groaning to convey his impatience.

"Everything I do, everyone is against. Like the time I was about to attack Xander."

"You intended to hurt him?"

"I was angry!" he shouted. He calmed himself down once again. "Anyway, everyone was against me, as if they didn't understand the pain I experienced. But they all told me their stories, how they were similar to me. So why didn't they side with me? I was beginning to feel as if everyone hated me because of me being a Muggle-born."

"I don't know if what you wanted to do to Xander was good or not, but I know without a doubt that your friends don't hate you," said Rapunzel.

"I hope you're right." Jack and Rapunzel were now walking to the library. "So I don't mean to pry, but… are you okay with talking about _your_ father?"

Rapunzel's pace slowed down, as she was about to answer. She wanted to talk about it because she knew it would make Jack feel better. "I was too young to know him, but Mother told me stories of how he left the picture. The first story was that he stole money from the markets of Corona. My family wasn't rich, so we needed it or else we would've died by diseases. Magic would've worked, but if it weren't for its limitations, he would've been alive."

"What do you mean this is the first story?" asked Jack.

"Mother changed the story many times. This one was the first story, and it was sad, so I chose to believe this one more. The second story and the ones after those ones were to punish me."

"Punish?"

"When I was bad, Mother told me that Father stole the money so they'd leave me at an orphanage, enjoying their lives without me. She was joking, of course, but it wasn't fun for me."

"That's harsh. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine. If it made you feel better, then I'm happy to help," said Rapunzel. "So, when I was looking for you, I found Lily in that Potions classroom. She wasn't alone. John was there too."

"What were they doing?"

"John was building a Dusk Weapon secretly because he thought they were banned. Now that Dusk Studies began for us, he can do it without being judged—by the professors that is. Lily was making more potions, but I think she invented a new way to use them. Adding Purple Dusk Powder made it explosive and affect through skin contact."

Jack's interest sparked in his eyes as he turned to Rapunzel. "So that's how she made the 'Multiply Potion' that created havoc on Halloween. Tuffnut and Ruffnut stole a potion thinking it belonged to Black. They didn't know it was Lily's."

"It gets strange. When I thought it was just them, Xander and Yang came in."

Jack stopped in his path. "What did they do?"

"They… helped me find you."

"With the orb," said Jack.

"How did you—"

"Hiccup told me during Transfiguration and Kristoff told me during break before Dusk Studies. Look, you shouldn't trust them. Something's not right about those two and you shouldn't let your guard down. The same now goes for John and Lily"

"I trust them, Jack. I don't know why, but I think they aren't bad people. I think what's happening is bigger than all of us," said Rapunzel.

"In what way?"

"I don't know." If it weren't for Yang, Rapunzel wouldn't have found Jack. If it weren't for Xander, she wouldn't have voluntarily went after Jack. Something _was_ happening and they knew something about it. She could feel it.

* * *

The yellow potion gleamed on the table as Lily was analysing the contents carefully. It was a success, but the effects could vary, since this was the first time she made such potion. She didn't have to lie to Rapunzel about what the potion did, that the potion caused a person's hair to rise. This potion was far stronger than that, and telling Rapunzel the truth would've led to more explanations.

Behind Lily were Xander and Yang, waiting for her to confirm that the potion was a success. She didn't remember why she agreed to help them. John was her first friend, but he appeared to be acquainted with the other two before Hogwarts. If she refused to help, she would've been left behind.

When they asked her for assistance before the winter break, she was about to decline, but her only friend accepted out of fear. She was also afraid of the two and she was completely aware that she was a milquetoast. If John was afraid, then Lily had every reason to be as well. She was just like Rapunzel when she first met them. But now, she felt a lot more comfortable, especially around Yang.

Lily handed them the potion, giving a nod to cement the potion's reliability.

"Um, do you know how to use the potion? Do you need tips?" asked Lily, hoping they didn't ignore her, otherwise her confidence would plummet.

Xander ignored her, which she expected. He wasn't fond of making friends with people. Instead, he was more the 'getting the job done' kind of person. John also left with Xander, apparently needing a tutor because he was already struggling in Charms. Only Xander was able to teach John. They would've done all this during Charms with Professor North, but Slytherin and Ravenclaw weren't in the same Charms class.

"Don't worry, Lily. We're the ones who asked if you were able to make this for us, so it's not your fault if it fails," said Yang.

"He doesn't seem to like me." Lily began packing away all the equipment essential for brewing potions.

"Give him time, and he'll be able to look at you at least," jested Yang. "I'm kidding, but time will help for sure."

Yang's Prophecy Record was sitting on the table, as it was continuously showing them Jack because Yang never stopped her Semblance. Jack was making his way down the steps and soon encountered Rapunzel. She was a silhouette, which meant Yang's Semblance didn't recognise her yet.

"Jackson Overland and Rapunzel Gothel, present." The Prophecy Record updated, but it displayed the same vision.

"What does it mean if it doesn't recognise Rapunzel?" asked Lily.

"It means I need more practice. When I don't mention a name to the orb, it won't show the person, so I need to update it every time. But sometimes it never works on some people, like John. And now Rapunzel is added to the list. It doesn't matter though because we can still hear them."

The girls heard the entire conversation between Jack and Rapunzel, but Lily did her best to not pay attention. Jack and Rapunzel spoke about them once, about not trusting them, and then in the library, where the two—including Merida and Hiccup—began talking about them more.

"It looks like you and John gained a few fans," said Yang, as they heard Rapunzel talking about the potion she saw Lily made and the weapon John was building.

When Lily opened her bag to pack away the potion ingredients, Yang noticed a particular symbol engraved on the box of bezoars. An insignia of the sun was etched on the top of the wood.

"This symbol… belongs to Corona, right?"

Lily noticed and took out the box, presenting the symbol clearly in front of them. "Yes, that's the crest of a royal kingdom in Germany, Corona. It's famous for the production of potion ingredients, as well as the equipment."

"Not sure if you were listening to me and Xander, but I bumped into Rapunzel at Diagon Alley and saw flashes of that symbol."

"Well, Corona has the best ingredients—in my opinion," said Lily.

"Really now? What makes you so sure?" questioned Yang.

"You know about the legend of Corona's Potion, yes?"

"Can't say I have."

"Long story short, the sun dropped a single ray of magic into the soil, and sprouted a magical plant that could heal all wounds and stop ageing. This plant was called the Golden Rampion, and a few people discovered it and brewed it into a potion. This potion gained a reputation, and years later a kingdom was developed, which was Corona. We don't know if there are anymore of Corona's Potion existing, but we do know that the Corona family are the only people who know exactly what happened to the potion."

"It stops ageing?" asked Yang who was intrigued with the story.

"And heals wounds," said Lily.

"It makes sense now. That's why they go to Corona."

"What does? And whom are you talking about? This is the thing you can't tell us yet, is it?" asked Lily, as Yang was about to leave. "Yang? Where are you going?"

"I have to go get Xander." Yang took the orb in a hurry and used it to search for him. "Sorry, I know I told you that we would explain everything, but we need more time. If the plan works, we'll tell you everything. If it doesn't, they won't hunt you down 'cause you don't know about it."

* * *

"Right! After carefully grinding the crystal into a fine powder, the Dusk Powder is able to be binded into metals. Unlike Dusk Weapons, Dusk Droids have a mind of their own, and are far lethal than many creatures known in the wizarding world. Their metal plating blocks magic, and with enough Core Magic, their attack can fatally shut down organs of their victims."

Professor Once-ler was explaining the foes from Year X that the wizards had to face. It was the fourth lesson so far of Dusk Studies with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, almost a month now, and no complaints had arrived.

"We are all aware that these diabolical robots were manufactured by the Dark Weapon to both increase the number of threats, and to take down all wizards." Professor Once-ler had a replica of the Dusk Droid in front of the classroom. It was a humanoid shape, but with a robotic face that was hard to gaze into.

Jack couldn't take this class anymore. This information was unsettling and useless for him. He wanted to find solid evidence about the attack in December. It had been over one month and they had not reported any signs of his family, until North revealed to him that the bodies were in fact found, but the Ministry thought it was unjust to tell a child that his family were found dead. They didn't want a student to leave the school because of that.

"So how does a Dusk Droid fire Core Magic if there isn't any magic in them?" the professor asked. "Ah, you over there. Would you care to answer?"

"No, I have no idea how that's possible," said the girl he picked. It was Yang who was definitely not in the mood, even if she knew the answer.

"I see. How about you, Ms Hofferson?"

Astrid folded a piece of paper that she received from the Thorston Twins. "Artificial Core Magic? You said it yourself that if someone were to be overpowered by a Dusk Droid, their organs would fail. You're suggesting that their Core Magic is weaker than an average wizard, which can destroy an organ easily."

"Outstanding, Ms Hofferson! A Dusk Droid can fire Core Magic, but they cannot alter it in anyway since there's no passion or intelligence contributing. They're basically walking Dusk Weapons. Think about this: If a Dusk Droid was to go against this classroom, who'd win?"

It was a tough question, considering some students could use dragons, but it would become a 'fire versus fire' kind of battle. Dusk Droid armour blocked spells, like a dragon, but who's to say that Core Magic didn't affect a Dusk Droid? If Xander successfully took down the Monstrous Nightmare, then a downsized threat might be easier than a dragon.

"We'd win, Professor. We have a home advantage, and just because spells don't work on them, it doesn't mean it wouldn't work if the spell was indirect." Macintosh answered.

"Excellent thinking because indirect spells _do_ work against a Dusk Droid, but I still don't know who'd win since these robots haven't been found active after Year X. Most of the deactivated robots are found in the ground when digging up Dusk Crystals."

Professor Once-ler began drawing another robot on the chalkboard, explaining that it was called a Dusk Drone, a variant of the Dusk Droid. Dusk Drones had the ability to fly, and were able to fire Core Magic as well. Both variations also wielded either an arm to shoot Core Magic, or a bladed arm for melee combat.

Next to the Dusk Drone, Professor Once-ler drew a familiar symbol. It was a strange sigil that they all learnt from Transfiguration, the letter Z. Jack also saw this when Xander helped him fight against Dagur, someone from his own house. The professor said that it was the Dark Weapon's symbol. This was no coincidence. The symbol of the book Xander took from the Restricted Section was the same as the Dark Weapon's.

The Dark Weapon was successful with destroying magic, but the last step was to destroy the final point of magic. It was somewhere in Hogwarts, but they couldn't find it at all.

* * *

The semi-finals of Quidditch began as fewer students flocked the stands to watch the match with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Many Slytherins didn't bother with the match since their team had lost and had to compete against the losing team for third place. The gap between third and fourth position in terms of house points was still arguable, which made the match for third position as desirable as gaining second or first.

Merida was with Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel at the Gryffindor stands, supporting Jack no matter what. Even Hiccup gave up his support for his house because Jack was on top of Hiccup's priorities.

"Hey guys," called John. "Planning to do anything after this match?"

John was wearing the Gryffindor scarf to support the red house too. He was with Lily, but no sign of Xander and Yang. It was most likely that those two were on the other side, supporting Hufflepuff.

"No," said Rapunzel. She eyed the two and was having a paranoid suspicion that Yang was watching them. "Why'd you ask?"

"Oh nothing. I actually asked Frondman if I was allowed to use the pitch for an hour. You see… that Dusk Weapon you saw me make… It's finally complete and I was going to test it out."

"You don't know if it has any flaws?" Hiccup asked.

"It failed badly when I first tested it out before Hogwarts. This entire time in the dungeons I was trying to fix all the errors."

The four then noticed the weapon strapped on John's back like a sword in its sheath. It was some kind of blue axe with silver blades.

"What do you think, Jack?" asked Rapunzel, who thought it would've been inconsiderate to drag Jack into this without asking him beforehand. If Xander stayed to watch John, it would've been weird for Jack.

"You guys can watch. I think I'm good after the match. Maybe I'll take a nap," said Jack.

"Oh, okay. What about the rest of yous?"

Rapunzel was about to answer, until she saw Lily. Lily was sitting submissively as usual and avoided looking at any of them. She finally looked back at Rapunzel and was slightly startled, but she waved back, which was something Rapunzel didn't expect.

"I could use some entertainment," replied Hiccup.

"Me too." Merida added. They now waited for Rapunzel to answer.

"Hi," said Rapunzel while waving back at Lily. Lily smiled even more while the others were confused.

"Did you say yes? Rapunzel?" asked John who was slightly nervous for some reason.

"Oh, no. I was saying—never mind—I think I need to do some homework instead of staying up for it," said Rapunzel.

"Oh… that's cool. Whatever's fine for you," said John.

John and Lily stayed and it bothered Jack that John didn't go around asking more students to assess him. He felt as if they wanted only Jack and his friends to stay back, but John didn't pressure Jack when he declined his offer. Anybody affiliated with Xander came off as odd people in Jack's eyes.

"Man… One day I wish I was as good as Nod," said John.

He wasn't wrong. The others could tell the difference between Nod and MK by the way they flew in the clouded sky. MK's movements were direct and focussed on the unseeable object that was presumably the Golden Snitch. The way Nod flew was more precise and it also appeared as if he was aware of his surroundings instead of just the Snitch, because all of his movements weren't just for catching the Snitch.

* * *

The match finished and their predictions were correct. Nod was proven victorious by catching the Snitch before the other Seeker. If it weren't for that bolt of lightning in the distance that caught MK by surprise, the match would've taken longer to end, and the victor might've been different.

The audience made their way out of the Quidditch pitch, but the gust and waxing darkness overwhelmed the students, preventing any instructions by the professors to be heard.

Jack was trying to get his way through the crowd. The amount of inconvenience grew and more students were screaming at each other in order to be part of a conversation.

"What's taking so long?!" yelled Jack as the wind was slowly pushing him back.

Jack turned around and his friends were a fair distance away. It was only Rapunzel who wasn't looking at Jack. Instead, she was staring into the sky. The sun was being blanketed by more and more thick clouds.

Another bolt of lightning connected with the earth. This time, the stream of electricity struck the base of one of the tall stands, causing it to slowly collapse.

Screams and roars emerged from the crowd as they forgot that they were trying to avoid trampling onto others. In less than a second, it was already chaos.

Fortunately, it meant the maze of wooden stairs and seats were being cleared, but Jack noticed Rapunzel didn't move. He fought through the crowd to get to his friends.

"Rapunzel?" Hiccup asked. She was still looking away from them.

"There are people in there still."

The rest looked at the Hufflepuff stand and saw that she was right, and their lives had a time limit. The fires caused by the lightning weren't a problem, since the rain was beginning to pour.

"We have to get them out!" suggested Rapunzel. The wind was growing and dragging her voice someplace else.

"What can we do about it?! We have no broomsticks!"

"No, Merida, but _I_ do!" shouted John. He grabbed the weapon from his back and they all saw that it was a double-barrelled shotgun. The shotgun winded apart and began transforming into something else. It was now extending blades on one end, as it now resembled a broomstick that had blades as the tail wing.

The tall stand crumbled from the base and toppled over the pitch; they were too late. All the students in that stand were now seen clearly and their screams alerted everyone. The stand stopped midway as they saw the Headmaster casting a spell after shouting out an incantation.

Nobody helped the distraught students. Even the Quidditch players already in their tents were unaware that the place nearby was soon to be wreckage.

"Now's your chance, John," said Lily.

John nodded and hopped onto his Dusk Weapon. "Don't fail me this time, Quicksilver."

What John failed to do was warn his friends of the dangers of being near his weapon while still in its testing phase. When John took off, the speed created its own gust of wind that took down his friends.

John was already at the suspended stand in a matter of seconds. Nobody really thought things through. They didn't know if John was able to carry an extra person on his broomstick.

Even though Professor Lunar was able to hold the stand forever, lightning was bound to cause more damage nearby. The rain was also not helping, causing people to have to shield their eyes. It was unbearable.

John carried one person and was already struggling. He wasn't going to succeed at this rate, until he saw a miracle. Students from the Quidditch team finally came out and assisted John. There were more than enough flyers and they helped evacuate everyone off the pitch.

John joined the Quidditch players in the tent and aided the students. He breathed a sigh of relief, as it could've ended worse.

Jack and the rest knew John wasn't coming to meet them back on the pitch—in fact, he already had his practice for today. They were heading into the castle and heard a loud crash from the Quidditch pitch when Professor Lunar released the stand. They wondered who was going to clean that mess up.

* * *

John was finally shining after a few years to build his weapon. It finally paid off. He was apparently sent to the Headmaster's office and awarded 100 house points for Ravenclaw. Of course, this created a debate whether or not a broomstick built from Dusk was safe. All students used the same broomstick for Quidditch to make the rules fair, but there were still unsatisfied students, thinking John was too privileged to be able to own a Dusk Weapon early.

The storm was still brewing and had yet to reach its peak. Students were forced to stay indoors and some older students had to cancel going to Hogsmeade. This storm was ominous, as it didn't normally storm in winter at Hogwarts.

Jack went back to the Astronomy Tower, hoping the rain would continue to shower for another few hours before the sun was about to set.

He already found peace in the rain because it reminded him of home. He too couldn't remember the last time it rained at Hogwarts.

Jack held onto the bracelet from his sister, daydreaming and changing the world around him back into Hawthorne. He was in his room, waking up while Emma played outside with his mum and dad. The rain was creating mud all over the front yard, which wasn't even normal.

"Jack! Come down and play with us," said his dad. They were wearing rubber boots and jumping all over the mud as his mum was heading inside the car.

This vision he had was whimsical and eventful. The car moved and reversed into the street. His mum was waving at him. He couldn't find a reason why he was unable to move his hand. There was something holding him back. Then it happened. A truck rammed into the car.

Jack was screaming and trying to move, but he still couldn't after that. His dad and Emma did not react and they continued staring back at him.

Jack snapped out of the vision and tried unseeing what he saw. It wasn't his fault. He didn't want any of it to happen. He then saw something glowing in the sky, like glitter. Did Mansnoozie's Dreamsand cause that daydream? It couldn't be since it was a horrible experience, unless he _did_ find it relaxing, which wouldn't be ethical nor would it be normal. This was another's doing.

The view on the Hogwarts grounds was similar to his vision. There were puddles that were on the same spot as the mud in his vision, and the path to Hogsmeade was like the road in front of his house. The area where his dad and Emma stood was different. His dad wasn't there, but Emma was.

"Emma…? Emma!" Jack stood up and saw that she stood in the rain, watching him with a traumatised expression. She was wearing something shiny around her neck, like a necklace, which glinted in his eyes. That was the only difference. He remembered that she never had a necklace.

Jack wasn't dreaming anymore. Jack quickly ran down the steps to see how this was possible.


	21. The Storm

He did not have any time to catch his breath. The wicked storm was becoming intense with louder thunderstorms striking against the soil. The sun was now setting, but the layer of clouds obscured the marvellous view.

Each step he took down the steps was progressively difficult. It felt like an eternity getting down the tower and he had to avoid falling over. He didn't want to suffer any more injuries after what happened in his first Flying lesson, especially after seeing his sister outside in the rain.

There were barely any students in the hallways since most were heading to the Great Hall for dinner. Jack was nearly outside, but he encountered two girls who were already concerned about him. It was the look of fear and despair in his eyes.

"Can we help you?" asked the older one.

Jack slowed down in front of them and saw that it was MK and Yang. Two girls with nothing in common except for their house. He hadn't spoken to MK for a while.

"My sister is out there!" Jack wasn't asking for any permission to go outside. He knew they wouldn't believe him so he attempted to bolt past them.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there." Yang grabbed Jack's arm to stop him. "How do you know she was there?"

"She's out there! I saw her!"

"You _saw_ her? Was there anyone else with you to see it?" Yang waited for a response and Jack shook his head dejectedly. "Well good thing you _will_ have a witness!"

Jack looked up with a spark of hope. He didn't know why but Yang's tone was full of confidence, almost like she was able to solve all his problems. He then considered the fact that she was a friend of Xander, so he still had to be wary.

"Emma Overland, five minutes back." The orb Yang took out began glowing, and MK was interested with what Yang was going to do. The orb flashed strange colours and displayed strange pictures of random objects. It was like a jigsaw puzzle of pictures and sounds that were difficult to decipher.

"How convenient. Sorry, but my Semblance needs a lot of polishing. It happens a lot."

"What does that mean, Yang?" asked MK.

"It means she can't help me, but I'm still going out to find her," answered Jack, walking past the Hufflepuffs.

Yang was deciding what to do with Jack. The flash of lightning reminded her to keep him indoors. Another accident today won't be good for anybody.

"You can't go out! You wouldn't last a few minutes in the storm. It's also getting dark!" Yang blocked his way and Jack was slowly losing his temper. The sound of his breathing was noticeable to both Yang and MK.

"Get out of my way or else!"

"No! You're so damn—" Jack pushed her out of the way before she could swear. She was resisting while he then pinned her against the wall.

"Hey! Let go of—"

"It's okay, MK. He has every right to." Yang remained calm. She was pumped from the idea of fighting Jack, but the anger she saw in his face told her otherwise. His teeth were showing like a snarling dog, and his eyes were as if they were turning red. If she had known better, she would've realised that she was currently in the same position as Xander last month. The bloodlust was the same.

"It's all right. Take a deep breath, Jack. If you're desperate, you can go outside, but not alone."

"Fine." Jack released Yang and couldn't believe he was about to attack another student again. If any professors found out, he would've been expelled. Where would he go after that? A boy with no home and no friends outside of Hogwarts wouldn't survive. He realised how cruel the world was. It wasn't made for children to live on their own, unless they got lucky.

"I should come too," suggested MK.

"No, you should see Jack's friends and tell them that Jack and I are going to do some exploring."

* * *

The two students ran out into the rain. There was nobody when they got to the place Jack saw his sister. Their clothes were now soaked and saturated with water, but they didn't care. What Yang was worried about was if lightning struck the same place twice.

Jack had told her that he saw her from the Astronomy Tower; it was a stretch to think he was able to see from all the way up there. He justified that he could recognise her face from far away. He even mentioned seeing a glinting necklace, which was something she never wore.

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" asked Yang.

"How could I be hallucinating?" His eyes were darting everywhere in case he missed something.

"Did you drink a strange potion? Were you affected by a jinx? There are many causes of a hallucination like trauma, Jack!"

"Emma!" called Jack. He went ahead of Yang and headed near the only place she could've disappeared to, the Forbidden Forest.

"You even listening?! Stop! You know that place is out of bounds."

"I can't leave until I know that she didn't go hiding in the forest."

"This is _the_ Forbidden Forest! There are monsters everywhere and it'll take weeks for a single student to trek the entire forest if you make it! And if you go in there, you'll be expelled!"

"What's with you and rules! Aren't you and Xander the ones breaking every single one?! Or have you gone soft? How do I know to trust you?!"

Yang was thinking for an answer. She had to play this right. "The Dark Weapon is back. Xander and I are part of it. They raised us and trained us into doing bad things. I was never Xander's friend before Hogwarts, and he's done horrible things because he had no guidance. At Hogwarts, we have been doing jobs for the Dark Weapon, and Xander wanted to do things the easy way, but I stopped him because those actions were wrong."

Jack was speechless. "You're one of them?! You killed my family?!"

"No… Yes—They did it thinking they'd eliminate all threats, and to test out their new artillery."

"What are you talking about?!" Jack clenched his fists and was ready to draw out his wand.

"I'm telling you the truth. But they didn't know the train was delayed, and missed."

"Missed?!"

"The target was you, as you were the perfect candidate for joining the Dark Weapon. But they never found you. So it was better that they destroyed you so you wouldn't be a threat."

"How could an eleven-year-old destroy them?"

"Your Core Magic. Muggles do not have them, and finding them in Muggle-borns are rare. They are rare, but powerful."

Jack didn't listen anymore. He was about to go into the forest despite Yang's warning.

"Jack! Stop! You aren't reporting me and Xander?"

"You tell me all this and now you want me to stop! It proves that Emma is in the forest. What did you expect anyway? Why would you even tell me this?!"

Yang was tense and she glanced to the side. After that, she was now calm and relaxed. "'Cause you're going to forget about this."

A spell hit Jack's hand and his wand fell out of his pocket before he was able to draw it. Yang then drew hers and aimed it at Jack.

"He thought you'd listen to me, maybe joined us to take them down too; he was wrong about you. Obliviate!"

Yang kept a focussed face because this was a delicate procedure. A green light came from Yang's wand and it landed on Jack.

Jack fell limp onto the ground and Yang grabbed his wand, hiding it back into his pocket before he woke up. Footsteps came closer to them and Yang was already aware that she wasn't alone.

"Worth a try?" asked Xander. The rain drenched his hair, but his cloak remained dry.

"You so failed! But it was interesting, although he couldn't cope with the truth."

"I guess it is best to keep it from him for a while. Did you really not like me at all before Hogwarts? Not even an inkling?" It was one of those rare moments when Xander joked with Yang. She was glad to have a friend like him.

"I was different. And yes to keeping the secret from Jack. Why did you want me to tell him the truth anyway? John and Lily deserve to know before Jack."

"Jackson is at his worst. If he listened and was able to understand, then anyone could. Since he did not, we should not tell anyone soon. It was good timing that Jackson left the tower as soon as we thought of a plan. And you had good timing with the truth. You thought he was going to report us, meaning he would not enter the forest, but that failed unfortunately. But what was that about his sister?"

"Dunno. It was unexpected and explains why he left the Astronomy Tower abruptly. She died, didn't she?"

"That was what we were told. That aside, do you really want to tell Lily and Jonathan the truth?"

"No, because if we fail, the Dark Weapon will look into our memories and see that John and Lily know about them. So they'll be captured or killed."

Xander walked towards Jack's body and thought of the conversation he had with Jack when the school had the snow fight. People were afraid of Xander, except for a few including Jack.

 _Those rumours about you are true, but it doesn't prove anything negative. I'm sure a lot of people are just not used to seeing new things._

That part of what Jack said stood out to Xander. "I would not have believed Yang about the truth, so why did you not believe her as well?"

* * *

Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Merida were with MK in the Great Hall, talking about what happened with Jack. They were the only ones not talking about John and his Dusk Weapon.

MK had filled them with all the details about Jack seeing his sister and almost attacking Yang. They were all becoming worried about Jack's approach towards people who got in his way.

"I honestly think Jack has every reason to do it, even if it's wrong. I've thought about it and it looks like Xander and Yang have been baiting him. It's either that or they're always at the wrong place at the wrong time, and so is Jack." Merida admitted.

Hiccup and Rapunzel didn't agree with Jack being aggressive. They felt he needed some guidance now that his family were gone.

"What were you doing with Yang anyway, MK?" asked Rapunzel.

"Yang spoke to me just before Jack came. She was asking me about Quidditch actually. I know a lot of people see her as the sketchy person because of her friendship with Xander. Even the people in my dormitory talk about them all the time. Next thing you know is that the Ministry will begin keeping a close eye on them."

"Let's hope so. If they are doing something bad then the Ministry can help," said Merida.

"That's not why the Ministry would want to do that. I'm sure all of you have seen the newspapers called the Daily Prophet. That company is very close with the Ministry, and if they find talent within wizards, they'd want to publish it."

"Doesn't sound like something the Ministry would do." Merida said.

"I guess not. My father is quite the conspiracy theorist. He believes that the Ministry of Magic _would_ do it to show the Dark Weapon what the wizarding world is capable of—if they really do exist," explained MK.

Jack and Yang returned to the Great Hall and met up with the others at Ravenclaw table. Yang left Jack, leaving the Great Hall to presumably the dungeons.

"Did you have any luck?" asked Hiccup.

"How did you guys know?" asked Jack, looking at MK.

"Oh, I don't think you two have fully met—"

"We have. MK helped me and Nod cause that hail storm on Halloween."

"I don't think that's something I want to be remembered by, Jack," said MK while hiding her hands in her long sleeves. "So what did you two do anyway? You were gone for nearly twenty minutes."

"It felt shorter than that. I went outside with Yang to where I saw Emma, but she wasn't there. Everything else was where I remembered, so why was it my sister that had to be not there?"

"Maybe it's because you miss her," said Rapunzel.

"Is it possible for people to see things like that?"

"I don't know, Jack. But it does sound common in the Muggle world; it's like a hallucination," said Merida.

"Do they have doctors in the wizarding world?" asked Jack who sat next to Rapunzel.

"No idea. I live in London, Jack, in case you've forgotten."

"They don't," answered MK. "My dad's done his research even though he was a Muggle. You see… I lived with my mum when I was little. She and my dad had a fight about his crazy theories and obsession."

"Obsession?"

"He claimed that there was magic and so my mum left him. I went with my mum, thinking he was crazy too. I remembered when he showed me some old videos of magic, but I thought they were edited. He even had all these articles pinned on the walls of his house, explaining strange lights at several locations around the world, and little did I know that they were about Year X. I received a letter from Hogwarts, and showed it to my dad. He was ecstatic and was relieved I believed in him."

"So you were a Muggle-born and nothing happened to you?" asked Jack.

"Something _did_ happen. My dad was about to share the news of the existence of the wizarding world, but there was news that made him stop. The town my mum was from—and where I used to live—was destroyed by a mining accident. The ground collapsed below them and my mum didn't make it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Merida.

"Thank you. At least she was happy the last time I saw her. She thought I went to a boarding school, achieving my dreams of being a photographer. I'm with my dad now. We live near Moonhaven where it's protected from Muggles."

Rapunzel looked at Jack and could see that he was lost in thought. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. She then saw that Hiccup and Merida had the same expression.

"Where was this place?" asked Rapunzel.

"Moonhaven is in North America. The town where I lived with my mother was several miles—"

"So it's in North America too?" asked Hiccup, which MK nodded to.

"You never thought the possibility of the Dark Weapon?" asked Hiccup.

"I have, but many people say it was a mining accident."

"And it was a chemical leak from a plane that crashed," said Jack.

"What?"

"That's the Muggles' explanation. I'm sure that's where you heard about the mining accident too. I'm still breathing because a train was delayed, and you moved to your dad's because it was closer to Moonhaven. Nod told me that Moonhaven was one of the most secure locations outside of Europe, that's why nothing has happened to you. The Dark Weapon must've thought you were still with your mother." Jack said.

MK was speechless. For four years she had never obtained evidence of the annihilation of her previous hometown. "Tha—That sounds like a stretch. I don't know. Maybe I need to tell Nod about this." MK stood up and was in a rush. "Excuse me, and thank you. If what you say is true, I'll do everything in my power to stop the Dark Weapon from triumphing as well."

After MK left, the four began talking about Muggle-borns, such as Gertrude Dibra from Ravenclaw. According to Rapunzel, she was the best at casting spells in Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. Rapunzel noticed Jack feeling droopy, and she was getting worried.

"You okay, Jack?"

"Sure."

What Jack focussed on wasn't the voice of Rapunzel, but the face of his sister staring back at him from the window nearby. The translucent windows and the rain dripping from her head to toe distorted her figure. Emma did nothing but stand there to taunt him.

"I think I need to rest," said Jack, as he got up to head to his dormitory. The others couldn't protest to that.

"It's all in your head," thought Jack.

* * *

"So have you spoken to Jack yet?" asked Elsa.

"Only once when we got back after the break," said Nod.

"So that's a no then."

"Maybe MK is able to find out something," said Hans, pointing at Ravenclaw table where MK, Jack, and Jack's friends were visible.

Nod and his friends were in their fourth year, yet they didn't know as much as the first years. They had Elsa, who knew everything going on in the wizarding world because of her social status, but the first year had Anna for that.

"What's that face, Elsa?" asked Hans.

"What face?"

"The one you always show when you're guilty. Last time you showed it was when Anna came to you on her second day at Hogwarts."

Elsa exhaled for a moment before admitting the truth. "During the break, after hearing about Hawthorne, I did a bit of snooping and found out some horrible truths of Arendelle Corp."

"You've told us this already, Elsa. There was a drop in the Dusk Crystal stocks; the green ones particularly," said Hans.

"Wait what?!" exclaimed Nod.

"I haven't finished…" Elsa then gazed back at Nod, appearing as if what she was going to say next was directed to him specifically. "Four years ago there was a decrease of Orange Dusk Crystals."

"Meaning?"

"That same year, MK found out Gallant was wiped out, along with her mother." Elsa kept herself contained before continuing on. "I only spoke to MK recently about this, and she told me about a mineshaft collapsing, which I already knew. It was only recently when I investigated about Hawthorne, I found out about the drop in Orange Dusk Crystals. It can't be a coincidence. Orange Dusk Crystals have properties related to the earth."

"But that would mean Arendelle Corp are responsible, or someone stole the supply of Dusk," said Hans.

"That's impossible. I thought only the people with the Arendelle seal can withdraw Dusk," said Nod.

"That's correct, Nod, but only my mother and father have it. I get it next year and Anna gets hers in four years. My mother and father couldn't do such a thing!"

"Let's not jump into conclusions yet, Elsa. First, it could've been a third party who requested for the Dusk to be taken out. All they needed was the seal for permission on their letter," said Hans.

"But still, my mother or father signed it, twice now. It can't be a coincidence they happened on the same year as the genocides."

"How does the Green Dusk Crystals relate to Jack's case?" asked Nod.

"Green Dusk Crystals create plants. Plants come in different varieties. Some are beautiful and some are ugly. Some are gentle and some are deadly. I think the Green Dusk Crystals turned into Noxious Ferns and produced a deadly gas."

Noxious Ferns were plants of the wizarding world, contained in one area in the Ministry and a well-guarded section of Moonhaven. The three teens had learnt about this deadly plant from Professor Moonhaven last year in Herbology. The poison not only destroyed other plants, but it was the only known plant to create harmful blight for humans.

"Was it really that many plants that could destroy a town?" asked Nod.

"I heard there were other plants too, but most died by the poison. If there's a noticeable drop in Arendelle Corp's stocks, it meant enough to say goodbye to cities."

MK returned to her friends after talking to the first years. She had something to tell them judging by her reckless movements.

"So did you teach them something new?" asked Hans.

"The opposite," replied MK. "They taught me something. Is the Dark Weapon really back?"

* * *

During the hours beyond twilight, the students slept peacefully for another normal day coming up. The trees had rested as no sounds of winds interrupted their slumber, even after the storm.

Jack travelled through the dense forest after watching the whimsical sky. There was light everywhere, but no sign of the sun. He had climbed a few trees to see if it was setting, but still no luck. Even if the sun was setting, the sky would've turned orange.

He didn't know why he was treading through the woods alone, only that he was thinking of his sister, constantly calling out her name. He knew he was lost. Walking back and forth was no use. Even the trees became too tall for him to reach the branches to regain his bearings. If only he had something to guide him back out, or lead him to whatever he wanted to find.

"Emma!" His voice echoed, but his heartbeat dulled it out. He was panicking, fearing that he was all alone. He didn't want this. For once he wanted to be with his friends forever. Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel have helped him and he never thanked them for that.

Jack wasn't crying, even if he tried, it wouldn't work; he wanted the world to know how sorry he was.

"Jack!" called a voice. It was Emma's, which boomed louder than the beat of his heart. It didn't help when he followed it because his heart was still pounding through his chest.

There was a clearing, filled with a light haze to make things hard to distinguish. Jack saw a body on the ground, lifeless with a person standing nearby. Jack walked closer and saw that it was Emma who was the one on the ground. Jack didn't know what to do, until he heard her voice calling out to him. She was still alive.

"Emma!" Jack was finally smiling with tears streaming down his pale cheeks.

There was a loud crash that damaged his eardrums. He held onto his head and tried to recover, as he saw the figure nearby walking closer to him. It was Xander.

"I knew it." Jack said weakly.

"It wasn't me! I swear!" yelled Xander. For some reason Xander did not sound like himself at all. He was talking with Jack's voice instead. "Don't be angry! Don't be angry!"

"What are you talking about!" yelled Jack. The wind was kicking in and blowing the dead leaves around them.

"It's not me!" Xander's head was twitching; the twitching became twists in unnatural angles. When he stopped, it was somebody else. The new face was laughing at Jack with glowing yellow eyes. It was still Xander's face, but the eyes were different, and his gaunt face was colourless with black veins all over. "It is me."

The dark Xander vanished into the shadows and Jack was left with his sister. Jack didn't calm down; he knew something was about to happen.

Emma's body twitched, sharply getting up and breaking each limb. Her head was facing the wrong way, watching Jack with a smile. She was scaring him.

Jack ran away from the figure and hoped for the nightmare to end; it felt like running in quicksand. The figure of Emma crawled towards Jack at blinding speeds and managed to grab his leg. That was when he knew it was all over.

* * *

Jack woke up from his dream, clutching on his chest as he still felt pain all over. His vision was still blurry, like sand slowly pouring out of his eyes. The people in his dormitory were also awake, getting ready for breakfast.

Jack couldn't remember most of his nightmare. He could only recall the events taking place after seeing his sister and Xander in the forest.

Jack peeped outside the window and to his relief, Emma wasn't taunting him anymore. He observed the Forbidden Forest. It was large like Yang said. He hoped he didn't dream of the future, or else it would mean his sister was there with evil Xander.

It was Monday, so it was Potions first with Professor Black. Even though punctuality mattered to Black, Jack still had plenty of time to go outside and relax. A few seconds of fresh air would be enough for him.

He made his way down the spiral stairs and through the portrait, finding the closest exit out of the castle. The sky was ravishing; it was a beautiful blue tone. The pains in his chest lessened and his heartbeat slowed to the point where he couldn't feel it anymore. He watched the grass sway with the light gust, blowing his brown hair too.

Jack then waited for the sun to be visible, but it never came. He hoped it wasn't a bad omen. Maybe the odd clouds were blocking it—even if it didn't look like it.


	22. Dawn

It was time to go. There was a little over thirty minutes until classes began, but Jack considered himself quick when in a hurry, so he didn't worry a lot. It wasn't like he had never been late to Black's lessons in the past. The worst that could happen to him was receiving a detention and having house points deducted; none of it seemed important to him anymore.

There was an invisible force tempting Jack to stay a little longer, clinging onto the hood of his uniform. He didn't want to look back, otherwise the images of his dreams—the ones of his sister and the sinister forest—would return. It was too late. Vague images had already reminded him of the trembling fear he felt in the nightmare.

Jack turned back to the forest, despite his efforts. There she was, standing behind the imaginary borderline that separated the safe from the danger. She was wanting for him to come over, to enter the jet-black void of the forest.

"No. You're not real! You're not real!"

Emma slowly walked back into the forest and disappeared from him. She didn't appear conscious and everything was as if it was against her will. This was the world of magic, so there was bound to be a spell that could achieve those results. Why was Jack thinking too much? She was not real.

"Jack! Jack, help!" Emma's voice sounded genuine this time compared to the one in his nightmare. There was a struggle when she said it, like she was in trouble. Regret began filling Jack's soul.

"No… What do I do?" Jack crouched down and had shut his eyes, covering his face with his arms so he couldn't hear or see anything. He was helpless and was willing to take advice from anyone.

Emma began screaming, making the matter worse. Her piercing scream slowly turned into a cry, until dying out as if a candlelight had been snuffed out. It lasted five minutes, but it felt like hours.

Jack was thinking of heading back inside and forgetting about everything, but a thought came to him. Emma was calling for Jack; she wanted his help. He may have not been able to do anything to help her when Hawthorne was destroyed, but this time, maybe he could.

The things Jack had to consider before going into the forest were abundant. He needed a wand, which was always with him. He was in his uniform; the robe was the important asset, as it apparently heightened the user's magic. He was going alone and he remembered to mark where he went so he couldn't get lost.

"Forget about Yang's warning. Emma comes first."

* * *

It was another peaceful morning for Hiccup. He had a pleasant dream about flying a dragon like everyone else and finally being praised for his very existence. All his dreams were about the same thing and he was actually getting tired of it. He wasn't tired of the dream itself, but the waking up process instead, where he had to realise that it was all in a fictional world.

He got up and changed into his uniform, ready for Herbology with Merida. Potions was a little later and he was glad that he completed his homework yesterday. A lot would probably ask him to copy. It would've been harder if he had Potions with Gryffindor, where the twins would desperately try to steal it off him before asking. There might've been a lot of cases where he had to tell Professor Black that he lost his homework. Luckily none of those scenarios were taking place, but he'd never know if the classes change next year. It would be interesting to see Jack working with potions, and also seeing Lily in action.

People in the hallways continued to talk about John Wan. Some fifth years spoke about Mr Frondman allowing John to use the Dusk Weapon during flying lessons. Hiccup knew it was false because he had Flying with John, and never did he see that weapon until yesterday. It showed Hiccup how easily stories changed in such short period.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Hiccup turned and saw Yang running towards him across the corridor.

"Yang? What's going on?" Yang was catching her breath in front of Hiccup.

"I need you to do me a favour," said Yang.

"A favour?"

"Jack doesn't trust Xander, and I think he won't trust me any longer."

"Oh no, don't worry. I'm sure acting sketchy and messing with Jack will make him trust you."

Yang was slightly aggravated with Hiccup's sarcasm. "Listen. I want you to keep a close eye on him. I'm sure he'll listen to you like he'll listen to Rapunzel and Merida. Just let me know if something goes wrong… Xander will help."

"Why _does_ he?" asked Hiccup.

"I can't tell you everything just yet. If things go wrong, they'll know who knows and they'll hunt you down."

"Who's they?!"

"Just look after Jack!" yelled Yang.

Hiccup nodded and Yang walked off, trying to blow off some steam by releasing a bombardment of swear words. He took Yang's word for it and continued his way to the Great Hall.

Jack was not there, and even Rapunzel and Merida weren't present. Maybe the girls were arriving in a few minutes since they always appeared after Hiccup and Jack.

Something tapped on Hiccup's shoulder, brushing against his nape and causing him to freak out because he was caught off guard. Merida and Rapunzel were behind Hiccup, laughing at his reaction to Merida's touch.

"Wha—what the?! Why would you do that?!" The girls couldn't stop laughing now.

"Oh relax, Hiccup! You—you really should've seen your pose!" Merida was kneeling on the floor, gasping for air while Rapunzel calmed down a little.

"So what were you doing with Yang before?" asked Rapunzel.

For some reason, Hiccup had the sense of déjà vu, but he could not remember the last time he interacted with Yang like that for Rapunzel to ask.

"Yang told me to look after Jack, saying he'll listen to us over them."

" _Them_ as in her and Xander?" Rapunzel and Hiccup entered the Great Hall with Merida following along.

"I guess." Hiccup sat on the left side of Gryffindor table, while Merida and Rapunzel sat on the right, noticing the obvious empty spot beside Hiccup.

"Normally Jack comes first, right?" asked Merida.

"Yeah. He's normally the early bird… so where is he now?"

There was a little over thirty minutes before classes began.

"Maybe Jack slept in. He _was_ having a rough day yesterday," said Rapunzel.

"You don't think he's doing what he wanted to do yesterday, do you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Merida! Even Jack knows the Forbidden Forest is not for him to wander around in."

"We can never be too careful, Hiccup." Merida stood up and left the table. Hiccup and Rapunzel followed her.

"Where are you going?!" asked Rapunzel.

"We're going to look for Jack."

"Shouldn't we tell Yang first?" asked Hiccup.

"No need. I'm very sure she'll come to us."

They got to the corridors and saw Yang approaching them. She was worried and panicked like the rest of them.

"So I _was_ right? You were watching us this entire time with that weird orb of yours." Merida accused.

"You caught me, but now isn't the time to gloat. Jack is about to go into the forest and you need to get him out of there right now!"

"How will we find him?!" asked Merida. Yang took out her orb and showed them the location of Jack. He was still in front of the castle, debating whether or not to go back inside.

Before they left, Yang grabbed Rapunzel's arm, which made her flinch instinctively. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to ask if I could take care of Pascal. The Forbidden Forest is dangerous even for this little reptile."

Pascal crept out of Rapunzel's hood and was afraid of Yang.

"It's okay, Pascal. Being with her is safer than where I'm headed to." Pascal sighed and jumped onto Yang's shoulder. She was happy that the reptile wasn't timid, unlike that orange lizard that appeared frequently in the castle.

* * *

Pascal watched as his owner left him, unaware that it could've been the last time they met. He gave Rapunzel a look of confidence, to keep her courage with her. It was time for Rapunzel to stand up for herself without Pascal.

"Say… You wouldn't know where to find Professor Lunar's office, would you?" asked Yang. Pascal frowned at her in reply.

"Don't look at me like _that_! Do you know what guilt feels like?" Yang rushed through the hallways and met up with Xander.

"No time to talk! Where's Professor Lunar's office!" demanded Yang.

Xander sighed and signalled her to follow him. They ran up the stairs and got to the Gargoyle Corridor, where a gargoyle statue blocked the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Great! Do you even know the password, Xander?!" yelled Yang. Pascal was wishing he were on Xander's shoulder to avoid hearing Yang yell all the time.

"No need," said Xander while smirking in triumph. He waved his wand at the statue and it began moving. Passwords were no match for Xander's spells.

"You're breaking a rule and walking up to the Headmaster on a silver platter," said Yang.

"Sometimes when extremities meet, we have to bend the rules, and they do not even matter in those situations."

* * *

The three ran out of the castle and were just in time. Jack was there, but he was already heading into the forest.

"Jack!" shouted Rapunzel, but for some reason, Jack didn't seem to hear her. Merida and Hiccup joined in too, but their voices together were still ineffective.

"He's going in," said Hiccup. "We have to go too before he gets far."

"Wait!" yelled Merida, as she ran to one of the trees. She moved a few branches out of the way and took out her bow and quiver.

"Where'd you get that?!" asked Rapunzel.

"What did you think I did during the holidays?" asked Merida rhetorically.

Hiccup was the first that went into the forest and the others followed. Already they couldn't find Jack; they were in an area unknown to Merida. The branches were interlocked and they couldn't see far enough. Branch after branch, they were lost without a doubt.

Rapunzel climbed the trees. Merida and Hiccup did not expect it. She was using the height to her advantage so she could see where the castle was, but they weren't looking for their way back yet without Jack.

"Jack!" Hiccup yelled. Merida covered his mouth and kept him quiet. "What are you—"

"Shut it!" exclaimed Merida. "Rapunzel, stay still."

Rapunzel remained on the branch and wondered what Merida was worried about. There was rustling nearby and she stopped every muscle and became fully aware of her beating heart, as it grew stronger with each beat.

"Wolves," said Merida. Hiccup froze as well and prayed that the pack of wolves didn't find them.

Gobber had told them about the wolves, dangerous hunters that preyed on human flesh. They were the main threat to unlucky travellers. If any of them made one false move, the wolves would definitely maul them.

It was no use. Hiccup was panicking too much and Merida was beginning to sweat. The perspiration on her forehead was a sign of her knowing she couldn't handle the situation.

The movement of the wolves ceased. They were completely aware of the students, and were ready to pounce. This was worse than the rustling. The silence was too much.

Then, a child's voice broke the silence. It wasn't Hiccup's breathing nor was it Merida's. There was a blue light nearby, encouraging them to follow.

"That's a—" Hiccup couldn't find the word for it. Astrid and the others had seen this before. It was like a blue fireball, calling to them.

"It's a wisp," said Merida.

Rapunzel jumped down the branch to see it too. Merida wasn't too pleased, as the noise of Rapunzel's landing alerted the wolves and gave away their specific location. They heard the growling for a brief second.

"Hiccup, Rapunzel, when I say now, we follow the wisp. And no matter what, we do not stop. Okay?" Merida was taking charge with the situation. She had had experience being in the wilderness when she wanted time alone. Nobody except for her father was skilled enough to find her.

Rapunzel and Hiccup were ready for Merida's signal.

"Now!" Normally in situations like these, time would slow down. This situation was different, as time felt quick. Everything around them was moving too fast. When they squeezed through the branches and followed the wisp, they could hear the wolves nearby.

"What now?!" yelled Hiccup.

"Just follow the will-o'-the-wisp. They'll know where to take us."

The first wisp disappeared, and slowly, more wisps appeared and created a trail for them. They were walking to their fate, but their fate being a good one or a bad one was still unknown.

* * *

"Emma! Flee!" Jack ran through the twisted path through the forest. He was luckily able to get closer to the voice of Emma.

The haze was thick, but he was able to see past it. Piercings of light penetrated through the canopy and made the forest not as bad as it sounded. The professors always spoke about horrible tales regarding the Forbidden Forest, but so far nothing has been proven true for Jack. Only the complex routes and dark areas were exactly the same as how Flynn Rider described.

Emma's voice was loud now. There was an area that caught Jack's attention. It was bright, and it looked like an area where the fog ended. There was also the sound of crows from the trees over there. There was the same mystical force too, drawing Jack towards the clearing.

The clearing was a marvellous sight for Jack. The area had no trees to confuse him, and the air was as clear as glass. The sun then appeared from the clouds, shining above the greenery and on the towering stone pillars. There were exactly thirteen of them, and they were arranged in a circle.

On one of the monoliths, there was a girl tied up. Jack hoped he wasn't too late. Of course Emma was tied up on the one farthest away from him. He now had to get to her before something went wrong, but things were already wrong. How could Emma have called for Jack if she was unconscious?

Jack ran towards Emma and was in the middle of the stone circle. Before he got any closer, something ran into Jack, winding him and knocking him on the ground. Jack got back up but his vision blurred. All he could see was something black escaping from his view.

Emma was still there. He couldn't get to her with that thing nearby.

"Show yourself!" yelled Jack. He drew his wand and slowly walked towards Emma.

There was a humming noise nearby, like a whistle. Core Magic.

Jack looked to the sky and could see multiple blasts of green Core Magic incoming. He ran out of the way and hid behind one of the stone pillars, as the sky began raining magic. There was only one person who could've used that on him; the colour proved it. Jack bravely came out of hiding to face Xander.

"Come out and face me you coward!" Jack wasn't nervous at all. Somehow he knew Xander wouldn't kill him or his sister, unless it wasn't Xander.

The attacker came out of hiding and aimed its weapon towards Jack. It definitely wasn't Xander. The thing was taller than Jack, armed with guns on each hand. Its eyes glowed a particular green colour and it had no mouth. There was also no skin on it; but instead, metal plates covered it like armour. It was a Dusk Droid.

The robot fired Core Magic at Jack, but Jack was fast enough to react. The Core Magic exploded on the soil, causing dirt to hinder Jack's vision. The force also caused Jack to fall onto the ground, being completely no match for the Dusk Droid.

The robot charged its Core Magic, green like Xander's. It was funny how Jack had thought a person like Xander couldn't be any more monotonous; but here he was, about to be killed by a robot with green Core Magic—even its eyes were glowing brighter.

Three voices were heard, and three spells were heading to the Dusk Droid. The robot backed away as the spells did nothing to it, but it was enough to catch its attention.

Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup were careful and knew that the Dusk Droid was going to send a deadly beam of Core Magic towards them. If they shielded themselves with their arms from the Core Magic, they'd be crippled temporarily. If they left themselves exposed, the Core Magic could kill them.

Merida was prepared. She was already drawing her bow and steadily aiming at the robot. She didn't expect a lot because this was her first time fighting something like this. All she needed to do was redirect the robot's attack.

She released the string, and the arrow was sent flying to the Dusk Droid's face.

The noise of the arrowhead hitting against the robot's head brought the feeling of satisfaction to Merida, even though it inflicted almost no damage. The Dusk Droid then fell backwards after Jack tackled it. The Core Magic was fired into the sky. Perhaps it was a good way to alert anyone who saw.

The robot grabbed Jack and began crushing his neck, until another arrow punctured the robot's arm, forcing it to let go of Jack. Hiccup used the Fire-Making Charm to draw a straight line, separating Merida from the robot. The spell wouldn't burn the robot, but making one to keep it away might work.

Rapunzel ran for Jack, despite her friends' warnings. The Dusk Droid targeted her and swung its arm on her. Rapunzel was sent flying and crashed into one of the monoliths, leaving a crack on the base. The Ravenclaw was seriously injured, and wouldn't survive if her friends didn't help her.

"Rapunzel!" Merida jumped over the flames with Hiccup to see what happened. All they could hear were her cries. They failed to notice that it was a trap. The robot was charging its Core Magic at them both.

The green Core Magic was let loose, and Merida and Hiccup tried to block themselves; it was better than being dead. The Core Magic didn't touch them at all. Instead, it went around them as if they were shielded by some kind of force. But from what they knew, Core Magic was able to break through all Shield Charms. Hiccup looked around and saw that nobody was around to have created that magic to protect them.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Rapunzel said weakly. Merida and Hiccup didn't know why she was trying to help because that spell wouldn't work on the robot.

"Run!" ordered Merida. The two were making the most of this time. The robot stopped firing at them and charged towards them instead. It was too fast for them.

One of the large pillars fell and crushed the robot. Rapunzel had used the Levitation Charm on the stone pillar that had cracked after colliding with it. She had enough strength to slightly lift the pillar to detach it from the base, sending it toppling over the Dusk Droid. Rapunzel then gave in and fell unconscious.

Jack recovered and inspected the rubble with Merida and Hiccup. They were hoping that it was over.

"You all right, Jack?" asked Hiccup.

"Get Emma and Rapunzel out to safety while you can." They nodded before sounds were being heard in the rubble.

The robot emerged and sent rocks peppering on Merida and Hiccup. They struggle their way towards Rapunzel and Emma.

"Hey! It's me you want." Jack didn't know why he said that, but somehow he knew it was only after Jack.

The robot pulled its legs out of the rocks and advanced towards Jack. Jack couldn't run, otherwise everything he held dear would suffer. If he thought too long, he'd perish and never learn the truth about this robot. He aimed his wand towards the robot and thought about all the spells he knew, but only one would work.

"Jack!" yelled Merida. She successfully untied Emma. Hiccup had Rapunzel and they were able to escape if Jack distracted the robot long enough.

This was all because of Jack. If he had not joined Hogwarts, none of this would happen. This was definitely the work of the Dark Weapon too. Dusk Droids, strange symbols, and city destructions. Everything added up now. The only missing piece were Xander and Yang.

He knew what to do. He was willing to sacrifice himself, until he saw Emma again. All those days he longed to see her breathing. Imagine what Emma would feel if she had to live on without seeing her family. Who would take care of her?

"I'm not losing to you," said Jack to the Dusk Droid. He was confident that he'd see Emma again. Nothing was getting in his way. Not Xander, not the Dark Weapon, not even this mere pawn.

He then felt it. A power surged within his body. He felt more powerful than the robot. He saw his friends filled with disbelief. Emma was awake too, witnessing her brother wield strange magic. His right hand was on fire with red flames. He knew what to do, and he had been hoping to cast this on the robot when he encountered it.

He remembered what he learnt in Dusk Studies. A Dusk Droid's armour blocked off magic, like the scales of a dragon. Xander took down a Monstrous Nightmare once and saved Snotlout. If that logic applied, then this Dusk Droid was doomed.

"Energius Reducto!" Jack's eyes glowed red, and the Core Magic gathered on the tip of his wand, flashing a stream of red fire and covering the robot. Its armour was disintegrating in the spell. There was also a glowing green light within the robot, like Jack's Core Magic was overloading the robot's.

 _You're suggesting that their Core Magic is weaker than an average wizard._

* * *

The madness was over and they were lucky to be alive. Jack felt dizzy, but he still walked over to Emma. For some reason, she was breathing heavily the closer he got.

"Emma," said Jack. She wasn't happy or relieved that she was safe. The danger was right in front of her eyes.

"No! Go away!" Emma was struggling to get out of Merida's grip, but Merida kept her still. Letting a seven-year-old loose in the Forbidden Forest was a bad idea, especially with a pack of wolves roaming around.

"Flee, what's wrong?!" Emma avoided his confused gaze.

"It killed mum and dad!" She was sobbing in Merida's shoulder. Maybe Emma knew something that would help them figure out what was going on.

"It's okay, Flee. The robot is—"

"I don't want the red to kill me!" shouted Emma. Jack was speechless. He didn't know what she meant by that.

"Jack, your eyes are still…" Rapunzel also pointed at his wand, showing that the flames were still burning. Jack was completely unaware and thought the flames disappeared long ago.

"She's… scared of… me?" The red flames died out, and Jack's eyes reverted back to brown.

Emma began struggling more so Merida took something out of her pocket. She blew Dreamsand into Emma's eyes, calming her down and causing her to fall asleep.

"Jack!" called the voice of an older person. It was North, entering the clearing with Professor Lunar, Xander, and Yang.

"North?" Jack was relieved to know that he and his friends were safe, finally. He held on to Emma and didn't want to let go.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Lunar.

"Mostly, but Ra—" Merida stopped midway and noticed that Rapunzel was back on her feet, completely free of injuries. If Merida recalled correctly, Rapunzel was thrown against the fallen stone pillar. An impact like that would've been severe. Even Hiccup forgot when he let her stand on her own without his help.

"Yes? Ms Dunbroch?"

"Nothing." Merida replied. She saw Xander and Yang glancing at each other.

North took out a snow globe. "Hogwarts," said North. As the globe began glowing like Yang's orb, they saw the castle in the globe before North threw it near them. The magical snow globe expanded into a portal. It must have been North's Semblance.

"Come on, we don't have all day." North, Xander, and Yang entered the portal first.

Lunar approached the four students. "After returning to the castle, I expect a full explanation. And I do not want any of this to spread. Is that clear?"

The four nodded and made their way to the portal. It wasn't like Jack was going to boast that he could produce Core Magic like Xander. Especially after Emma's reaction, Jack was ashamed of being able to use Core Magic. He still had no idea what she went through at Hawthorne.

Merida and Hiccup needed some wounds to be treated, and Jack needed to be inspected. His injuries were more severe than the rest. Rapunzel on the other hand suffered no injuries whatsoever.


	23. Unofficial

They rested in the hospital wing, Jack, Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel, covered in minor injuries. Maudie had been helpful cleaning their wounds along with Rapunzel's help, since her injuries had miraculously disappeared. They all had to hear sad news that Maudie was soon going to leave her role as the school nurse. It was Elinor who had requested for this to happen, as she needed someone to take care of the triplets who were soon to join the family.

"So what happens to me?" asked Merida.

"Of course, we'll meet whenever you come back home to London. Your mother told me that you were old enough to not have me watch you with a close eye."

"You sure about that? What about what happened today?"

"It's a part of growing up, Merida. You'll always run into difficult situations, and I'm so relieved to hear that you and your friends made it. Of course, your mother wouldn't be too pleased to hear about this; so as a farewell gift, I won't tell your mother about today."

"Thank you, Maudie." Merida opened her arms and embraced her, surprising the woman.

"Come now, dear. I won't be leaving until the school year ends."

"I know, Maudie."

"Jack." Professor North called. Jack didn't want to leave his sister at this moment. She was resting peacefully on the bed next to him. He knew it was going to be difficult in the future. He'd have to keep his distance from her from now on.

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"I need to talk to you privately," said North. Jack got up and headed to the corridors outside of the hospital wing. He could see that other students inside were watching him when he left.

"Jack. This is a very serious choice you're going to have to make." The professor stood up straight and towered over the first year student, crossing his arms. "I've thought about your situation, especially since you haven't a place to go to when your first year finishes."

"They're going to take me, aren't they? I don't care. I'm more worried about what the Ministry plan to do with Emma. She doesn't have magic, so they don't have a place for her in this world."

"Correct. Whoever sent that Dusk Droid was obviously after you. They took Emma and used her as bait. I know you explained everything to Tsar Lunar already, and he left to report things to the Ministry, but I think the they're out of their minds to think they can protect you. That's why I've decided to protect you and Emma both. My place at the North Pole is big enough for the two of you. There are many yetis constantly creating toys for Christmas, so none of you will be lonely. They are also good at making food and they know the basics of hospitality. But it's your choice, Jack. If for whatever reason you have for not wanting to be at the North Pole, you can be honest with me."

"Okay," replied Jack. "If it's good for Emma, then it's good for me."

"That's what I wanted to hear. The two of you can stay for as long as you like."

"Thank you, North." Jack was smiling, which was rare during this period of hardship.

"If there's anything else you want, let me know."

* * *

Back inside the hospital wing, Xander and Yang were standing around for no apparent reason. The only possible explanation was that they wanted to explain themselves. Jack had returned, and there were no adults besides Maudie, who was looking after other students. Now was the time.

"First thing's first, we didn't expect you guys to be able to take on that Dusk Droid on your own," said Yang. The two were between two beds, one with Emma and Jack, and the other with the other three.

"Not to mention that we did not expect for Jackson to unlock his Core Magic this early," said Xander.

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't been so untrustworthy!" shouted Jack.

"Hey! We would've handled it without your interfe—"

"Yang, enough!" ordered Xander. Yang was eager to let out another swear, but she knew her place for now.

"Since the four of you have proven to be able to take on wizardkind's worst foe, we will tell you what you need to know."

"Let me ask the questions then. How do the two of you know each other?" asked Jack.

"I met Yang when I was younger. I barely knew my family and ended up with hers. I practiced Core Magic when I was young, mainly because I was always told that I could not achieve anything; it also motivated me to learn nonverbal spells too. I have taught Yang how to cast it as well. The reason you have yet to see hers is because she does not need to use it yet."

Jack thought of another question. "Now why have you twos been stalking me? Why did you protect me from Dagur in the first place?"

Xander looked at Yang before answering. "I already told you this. I appreciated that you protected Hiccup from Dagur. You saw him as an equal, unlike other Gryffindors, always trying to be superior to the rest of the houses, just like Slytherin. We have been following you after the events of the Burgess Sweep."

Merida was confused, so was Jack and Hiccup. "Burgess? Sweep?"

"Burgess means a person who lives in a town. The Daily Prophet called it that because the attack only destroyed the people living in Hawthorne."

Jack wasn't pleased with the answers so far. He did not want to end the day without knowing the truth. "Why did you stop me from getting on that train? Why didn't you warn me?!"

It was finally the moment when the truth had to come out. Xander couldn't escape this one. "I have known about the destruction of Hawthorne for a while now. Yang's Semblance allows her to see the past; but in the past, she had always thought it was her divination skills."

"Divinations?" asked Jack.

"The art of seeing the future. Muggles call it fortune-telling. I've practiced my 'divination abilities' and soon found out they were different from my Semblance, but I still have some skill of seeing the future, only fragments though."

"What did you see?"

"What do you _think_?" asked Xander.

"Why don't I just show them?" Yang handed Jack her orb, ignoring Xander's disapproved expression. It was the first time Jack was going to see it. "Hawthorne, North America, 22nd of December 2493, 8:59pm." It was a very specific command.

The orb was shining in Jack's hands. Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel leaned in to watch too.

* * *

The landscape of Burgess was breathtaking from up above. The roads weren't connected in a symmetrical pattern like other towns. They were all curved and going in different directions.

Each home had a story. The house with the least amount of lights belonged to the energy savers. The one with the beautiful garden were generous, giving neighbours some of their flowers every now and then. The house that was near the playground had no chimney, and belonged to the Overland household.

There was no way for the interior of the house to be visible, unless the names of the people were spoken into the orb. But it was for the best that the catastrophe was left unseen by the eleven-year-olds.

The air was still, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The moon though, shone brightly over the buildings, like a mother cradling her baby. There was nobody out in the streets. All cars had already parked outside of their respective houses, to spend the night with their family. Only one house waited for their boy to come home, but he was too late.

The sound of a plane approached. It was not out of the ordinary, as planes always passed the area in Pennsylvania. The wind began picking up speed. The leaves of the trees began rustling and the grass started dancing in the wind.

There it was, a large ship that had been hiding above the clouds. Normally when a Muggle heard a plane, they'd search for it in the sky. But this one was hidden, so nobody would question its appearance because they couldn't see it. The ship parted the clouds and it was an aeroplane they had never seen before. It was black and had sharp accents on the wings.

When it hovered over the small town, it simply shut down, letting gravity finish the work. The plane made a large crash and the debris rained over the town, crushing a few homes in the process. If people got away from the debris, the smoke would kill them next.

The green smoke leaked from the ship. It covered the buildings and screams were heard. Slowly, plants began growing in random areas, some dying immediately by the smoke. Surviving plants grew into large organisms that strangled a few buildings and blocked off roads.

There were flashes occurring in the smoke. Nobody knew what it was. Flashes of yellow penetrated through the fumes frequently for a brief moment, like a spectacular storm. Then there was darkness dimming out the colour of the smoke. It also appeared to drown out the yellow, strangling it until it ceased.

The town was nothing but a landmass of smoke. There was definitely no sign of life left. Emma would've been taken out of the area by now.

* * *

Jack's hands were shaking. It was now hard to watch the vision in Yang's orb.

"Jack… Are you all right?" asked Merida. He was not. There were tears pouring out of his eyes like a river, as he began shaking uncontrollably.

"I think he should—" before Xander finished, there was a loud shatter. Jack had dropped Yang's orb on the ground due to his shock. Silence entered the room.

"Hey! That's—" Xander held his hand up to pacify Yang. "But—" Yang stopped and saw how seriously hurt Jack was. He just witnessed his past life demolished right in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," said Yang. She was holding in her tears, as moments like this always affected Yang.

Rapunzel and Hiccup tried to calm Jack down, while Merida tried picking up the fragments of glass. All the students in the room were watching, and Maudie had no idea what to do.

"I think you two should leave, sorry it had to be like this," said Hiccup.

"I understand." Xander slightly bowed his head before leaving. He then saw Merida struggling to look for the other shards of glass. He waved his wand; all the pieces of Yang's orb floated in the air and followed the two when they left. Yang held out her hand and the shards landed on it, reconstructing back into the orb.

"Jack, it's okay. It's all over now."

"It's not, Rapunzel. The one who sent that robot is still out there!" Jack calmed down a little. He was glad to have his three friends with him. He couldn't imagine what would've happened if he tried to save Emma alone. Would he have unlocked his Core Magic?

They looked at Emma, and saw that she had a resemblance to Jack. Jack then noticed something glinting on her neck. It was the thing he saw when he was on the Astronomy Tower. He reached out for it and saw that it was a silver necklace. He had no idea why it was there or how she managed to get it. It was best to take it off and show it to Professor Lunar or North.

"How old is she?" asked Hiccup.

"Seven." Jack replied.

The door opened again, and North re-entered the hospital wing.

"If I knew the Headmaster very well, he'd let me take her before something happens." North grabbed Emma with both his arms and carried her out of the room. Jack held onto her hand and felt her bracelet in his palm. She wore one just like him.

"Goodbye, Emma."

The four spent the rest of the day in the hospital wing. They were happy that their classes were cancelled. A few hours later, the door swung open and Yang hastily paced towards them. There was something different about her. Last time she was there, she appeared annoyed and serious. This time, she was paranoid and clumsy.

"Sorry and sorry and hi—that second sorry was for Jack—the first was for Rapunzel—I forgot to tell you that if you want your chameleon back, come with me to Hufflepuff common room." Yang smiled sheepishly. The rest weren't prepared for that.

"Okay, if you don't mind me entering the Hufflepuff dormitory," said Rapunzel. It _was_ her pet to begin with.

"Not a problem. It's just the Slytherins who are too delusional to not allow any non Slytherin in _their_ common room." Yang did not notice Merida getting riled up with her comment about Slytherins.

* * *

Weeks had past and an event was being held outside of the castle. The Easter Egg Hunt held by Bunnymund was a famous activity at Hogwarts. Many students had remained back to attend this event, while some returned home to celebrate with their family—though most students stayed at Hogwarts to study for their exams.

The Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin was a downer. Hufflepuff lost in an instant and gained fourth prize: 30 house points. Everyone looked forward to the Easter event rather than the Quidditch match.

Merida was trying to avoid her friends. Staying with them during the hunt meant that she had to split her findings with them. She could not afford to lose this event. Her father was the winner when he was her age.

The event had rewards split into different categories. Prizes were given to each year level, so there were seven winners in total. All the eggs were charmed to hide on their own. When they were found, they'd grow legs and try escaping.

For some reason, only Merida was able to see the eggs on the window ledges of the towers. She knew getting there was going to be both dangerous and challenging. If only she knew how to use the Summoning Charm, which was taught to fourth year students. Maybe that was why the prizes were awarded in different categories.

 _Even for known spells like the Shield Charm, he did not say the incantation._

 _What's that supposed to suggest?_

 _That a first year has not only invented a new spell, but also that he knows a skill of advanced spell casting._

"Xander," muttered Merida. If she didn't find a way to get the eggs in time, Xander would definitely use the Summoning Charm on them. That's if he _was_ competing. Merida had seen Yang, but no sign of Xander today.

Merida then had an idea. She ran towards the broomshed: Further out the Hogwarts grounds and near the Quidditch pitch. At last, the broomsticks were inside, but sealed with a lock.

"Alohomora," said Merida. The spell did not work. Of course the professors were smarter than that.

Then, the lock mysteriously made a click. Merida tugged onto the padlock and it slid open. She was relieved; it was a miracle. She took one of the broomsticks, old and unusually dusty, like the rest. Maybe Mr Frondman only cleaned them before his Flying classes.

Before Merida left, she felt an odd presence. She couldn't think the lock opening was her doing.

"I know you're there, Xander," she said. She wasn't scared of him and she had no need to draw her wand. This boy was a threat, but somehow she knew he was harmless.

Xander came out of hiding. He gave her an intimidating, calm look, but it didn't affect Merida.

"You called?" asked Xander, putting his wand back in his pocket.

"Why are you following me? You could've taken those eggs if you were there ten minutes ago. Unless you weren't trying to win, and helped open that lock for me."

"You _are_ sharp. I will give you that. The answer is simple: I do not want to spend the rest of the day hearing people gloat that they won. I know for sure that a person like you would not."

Merida was confused. If he didn't want to hear so many people brag about their winnings, then why didn't he try winning for himself?

"So I guess you're helping me today?"

"Not exactly. I am helping the people who do not gloat… Do you not have eggs to catch?"

Merida had nearly forgotten about the eggs and took off on her broomstick. Fortunately the eggs were still there and she had to carefully collect them, or else they'd fall. The eggs didn't try to run from her because they had nowhere else to go.

Even if Merida didn't win, the number of eggs she found would convert into house points. When Merida landed, she found Hiccup and Jack.

"Are broomsticks allowed?" asked Hiccup.

"Of course. If older students are allowed, then why can't we?"

"That's why they have winners for each year level, Merida."

"Relax, I won't use it then." Merida dropped the broomstick and looked around, seeing Jack standing considerably far away.

"If only Rapunzel would've stayed. This event is actually fun," said Hiccup.

"But she made a promise for her mother."

"I know… So your mum didn't force you to come home? Even after not seeing her during Christmas?" asked Hiccup.

"I wrote to her about this day and she told me to stay. She enjoyed this day and wanted me to experience it too. My father won this event when he was in his first year, and she wanted me to 'carry on' his legacy."

"Is that so? You've always described her as strict, like an actual queen."

"I left out the part where she told me to focus on my studies… now that the exams were coming up." Merida added.

"But this exam is easy and trivial. When we get to the advance year levels, that's when it matters." Hiccup turned and saw Jack still not moving from his position.

"Jack's not looking for eggs?" asked Merida.

"No. You know that he hasn't been outside in so long, except for Flying and Herbology."

"Really? I didn't realise. So coming out here for the first time in a while reminds him of Emma."

"That's right." Hiccup and Merida approached Jack. He was recovering from those events as fast as an arrow.

* * *

Jack remained standing, watching the Forbidden Forest with disgust.

"Jack… You okay? What's on your mind?" asked Hiccup. He placed his hand on Jack's shoulder; it wasn't trembling with fear. Jack was calm.

"I remember that when I heard Emma's voice. It was at this exact spot. I was scared for her and I didn't know what to do. But now… I'm glad I made the right choice. I'm also glad you guys made the choice of helping me. If it weren't for you all, Emma would've still been missing."

"Xander and Yang helped us, Jack. I know you don't like them, but know that if it weren't for them, we wouldn't know where you were and how desperate you were," said Merida.

"I know. I guess I should thank them… maybe."

"Don't worry. It's up to you," said Hiccup.

"So what was that place you said it was called? The Callanish Stones?" asked Jack.

"That's right. They are all over the place in Scotland, but their purpose is unknown," said Merida.

"It's definitely magical. Gobber and other professors have been searching for it, but no luck. Jack, you found it by following Emma's voice, which she was unconscious at the time. Me, Merida, and Rapunzel found it by following the wisps."

"They really did lead us to our fate," said Merida. "How's Emma by the way?"

"North said she's getting used to the place. The bad news is that she needs some guidance by a person, which is why North is taking care of her for a while until she's comfortable." Jack stared on the ground, watching those flower patches waving at him. "I don't know if she'll be happy to see me."

"Of course she will. You're her big brother, and she was confused and scared at that time you saved her." Merida then imagined the faces of her baby brothers when she meets them. Will it be happiness? Fear? Or both?

North still had not returned back to teaching. Professor Ombric—the Arithmancy professor—had replaced North's position for the time being. During the subject clashes, Professor Thorburn—the professor Merida met at the post office—would take over.

* * *

"Rapunzel, how many times do I have to tell you?! Do not mumble!" Gothel searched the kitchen for something to attack Rapunzel with.

Rapunzel was afraid once again, but she knew she didn't have to be. She thought about the other times she heard about people's families. Anna's parents were the King and Queen of Arendelle. They were also busy running the largest Dusk company. They did not sound strict judging by the way Anna spoke about them. Anna's main problems were maintaining a healthy relationship with Elsa, her older sister.

There was Jack's family. If she ever remembered how much Jack loved them, she would've known how much he lost. He didn't deserve any of it. Merida's mother was respectable and caring. She thought of what was best for Merida, even if she didn't see it. Rapunzel would've been happy to have a mother like Elinor. Her own mother didn't even remember her own daughter's birthday.

What was wrong with mumbling? Couldn't her mother have the decency to try understanding what was going through Rapunzel's head?

She then remembered her encounter with Yang. Her memory was accurate and was able to play out the time she mumbled. Yang was the most intimidating person, and a lot of people had fights, like Jack and Dagur. Yang could've seriously injured Rapunzel if she had the chance… but she didn't.

 _Hey, it's all right. If you're nervous then take a deep breath._

"Rapunzel! Come here right now!" yelled Gothel.

"No!" The cottage was quiet, and Rapunzel could see Pascal hiding on the windowsill, camouflaging to hide from Gothel.

"What did you say?" Gothel turned to Rapunzel's eyes with a piercing look. "Repeat what you said… now!"

Rapunzel's heart was beating, but the burst of adrenaline made her enjoy this moment. She had a lot to say to her mother. "I won't listen to you! Whatever you do to me, always leads to anger and fear. Do you want that, Mother? Do you want your daughter to be scared of you? Well it's too late!"

Gothel remained silent and watched, as Rapunzel was not finished.

"All my friends have parents who love them. I know dad left us, which is why you act this way. I know he left because of _me_. I just… wanted… to have someone to love me! But now I know that I don't care if you don't love me. All that's important to me is that I love my mother, no matter what." Rapunzel wept and was anticipating an attack from her mother.

"I'm sorry, Rapunzel." It was the only thing Gothel said. She knew that the school influenced this sudden change of personality from Rapunzel. She had to go with a new approach in order to keep Rapunzel from running away, which was actually the worst-case scenario.

Gothel had always kept Rapunzel indoors, warning her of the cruel world outside. Rapunzel had always believed her, like a naïve little pet. Nothing was wrong with the world, except for the Dark Weapon.

This place was heavily guarded, and there was nothing that could enter, unless Gothel told them the way. The mountains that surrounded the village were the first line of defence. The second was the spell that had kept this area concealed for many centuries. The only way in was a secret tunnel through the mountains, which only Gothel knew how to access. If Rapunzel ran, she'd find the way outside too. The villagers weren't a problem because they were all merely pawns, not caring for their wants and only existing to convince Rapunzel that the world was dangerous. It was one of Gothel's successful simulations.

"I haven't been the best mother in the world, nobody has. I just wanted to protect you and teach you discipline." Gothel watched Rapunzel to see if the attempt worked.

Rapunzel looked back at her mother and these words felt insincere, but Rapunzel knew that the outcome would've been bad if she didn't forgive her mother.

There was a knock on the door, which disrupted the quietness of the cottage. Rapunzel jolted and wondered who was at the door.

"It's them," said Gothel. "Quickly, Rapunzel, in there!"

Rapunzel left the room and closed the door. Gothel forgot to lock the door this time, but Rapunzel would still avoid spying. She would never repeat what happened last time.

Rapunzel was glad to have had that conversation with her mother, even though it was quick. She felt a nudge on her shoulder and saw Pascal, smiling at her with pride.

Gothel welcomed the people in. She wasn't hesitating because she had more than enough of the potion to give them. There was enough to supply for them for a few years; that's how badly she had treated Rapunzel.


	24. Final Days

Jack was soon the child he was before the Burgess Sweep. A lot of people mentioned that event, fearing that the Dark Weapon was responsible, which was still up for debate. The mention of that event did not affect Jack anymore, and he was looking forward to the future instead, the future with Emma and his friends.

Despite this, Jack still wanted time on his own on a few occasions. It was good for him. He felt at peace thinking about his past life. He had a few friends from Hawthorne, where he played with them and Emma at the playground nearby. What would Hawthorne look like now? Cold, empty, and eerie came to Jack's mind.

It was best for Jack and his friends to keep quiet about the Dark Weapon, for the Headmaster's sake at least. Nobody would believe them anyway, even if they were often mentioned in rumours. Jack needed to gather evidence, or else the school would see him as a lunatic. After losing his family, they wouldn't hesitate calling him that, as a lot can happen to the human brain during those events.

Avoiding Xander and Yang was best. Jack didn't mind John and Lily for now, but their actions in the future would determine that. There wasn't a lot Jack had to do to avoid them. The only times he saw them was during class.

The past might have beaten Jack in the race. But now, Jack was ready for the next time they crossed paths. He had his Core Magic this time.

The exams were a breeze and there was nothing else required of him at the school. They had a few more weeks and the only event coming up was the Quidditch finals.

* * *

The Quidditch finals had taken place against Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It was the first time Nod was against Elsa in the finals. For the previous years, Nod's team was against Elsa's most of the time in the first rounds. The times when they weren't, was when Elsa's team lost, so Nod wanted to make this match memorable.

But it was unfortunate for Nod. He was trying to catch the Snitch before record time. He didn't pay attention to the actual match and caught the Snitch early. The match had gone on for hours, and Ravenclaw scored 280 points, while Gryffindor had only scored 120. The simple mathematical problem didn't cross Nod's head when he spotted the Golden Snitch. It wasn't all a lost for Gryffindor though; Ravenclaw earned 100 house points and Gryffindor had earned 70.

Nod was bummed out and didn't want to see anyone for the rest of the day. He had let his team, Ronin, and himself down.

"Hey! What's got you so down?" asked MK cheerfully. She hoped he wasn't sad after that match, but of course he'd be. He was always so competitive. Ever since he joined Quidditch, his team had never gained fourth place. She wouldn't want to see how he'd react in that scenario.

"I thought I'd win. I was so thrilled when I caught that Snitch, but everything became bad so quickly," admitted Nod. He sat on one of the seats in the tent where his team were; it was only Nod by himself for a few minutes before MK entered.

"We all make mistakes, Nod. You're the captain, so that's your job… learning from your mistakes." MK wanted to make him feel better. So far she had never failed on him.

"I guess. Thanks, MK." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're a good friend."

"Just between you and me," MK leaned in to his ear. "That _was_ a memorable match."

Nod quickly pulled his hand away after hearing that remark. "I'm sorry, but how did Hufflepuff do this year?" he mocked.

"Oh shut up!" MK laughed, as they headed back to the castle. The End-of-Term Feast was going to be held in two weeks.

The match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin—that took place a little before the Easter Egg Hunt—was easily forgotten. Hufflepuff had lost, meaning they only gained 30 points. The Slytherin team was pleased after gaining 50 points for their house. Hans had a way of leading his team; it was better than MK's leadership, which was why the match ended in less than thirty minutes.

Nod still didn't plan on thinking about the future. His friends were going to focus on OWLs and become prefects. There were no better candidates but him and his friends because of their leadership qualities demonstrated in Quidditch.

* * *

Meanwhile, as uproars and conflicts simmered, a meeting was being held at Professor Lunar's office. Tsar Lunar wasn't going to ignore the situation. Dusk Droids. Mass Destruction. Heists at Corona. He needed to form a plan with the other professors before it was too late. A movement was stirring. They needed to be prepared for it.

Most of the professors had arrived, while the students were on break. The first professors were Bunnymund, Toothiana, Mansnoozie, North, and Black. The other professors arrived while the meeting went on.

"Thank you all for coming. I know things have been shaky recently, but we still need to address the matter of the Dark Weapon. The Burgess Sweep was made to target one—and only one subject. Mr Overland was lucky to have survived. The train getting delayed was a good sign that we still have a chance. Luck might be on our side after all. The Dark Weapon has taken matters worse, now that they've sent a Dusk Droid to Hogwarts. This means that they are now aware of Hogwarts' location. Whether they wanted to kill Overland or taunt us is still unclear." Lunar left his seat and paced around the room while he spoke. "North, I hope your time at the North Pole also motivated you to go secure Tokyo? We wouldn't want another attack to happen to the other student."

North stepped forward. "I did, and there is no way the Dark Weapon will attack Tokyo. I'd also like to add that there have been several attacks in China. They have already started to try eliminating John Wan."

"Oh? What kind of attacks have they used? Surely none as lethal as the Burgess Sweep—I hope." The professors turned to Pitch Black. The dark-hooded professor stepped into the light.

"No, Pitch, none as lethal as Hawthorne's destruction. These attacks have been minor explosions with no known cause. Muggles assume that they were construction accidents, but it's actually the Dark Weapon using Red Dusk Crystals. They are poking in various areas of China to find John Wan's family."

"They don't know the truth of John Wan, do they?" asked Pitch. Tsar shook his head, making the other professors confused.

"I'm sorry—but what secret?" questioned Bunny. There was an obvious faction being formed within the group of professors.

"My apologies, but whatever secrets I keep are for a good cause. This is a matter that only Ingrid, North, Pitch, and I know about. I would appreciate it if you all respect my decisions."

"You see this?! _This_ is why we aren't able to do anything right," said Bunny. "If we knew what you knew, then maybe we'd have a better idea."

"Oh why don't you turn into your Animagus before threatening us? I'm sure we'll all listen then to that Pooka." Pitch had a way with words. He was good at angering others.

Bunnymund was about to transform. He had not turned into his Pooka form for a long time. A hand tugged on his arm to stop him.

"Bunny! Enough!" pleaded Tooth. He stopped and felt defeated. It was either losing to Pitch, or losing Tooth's respect.

Tsar held his hand up to silence the professors. Ronin Frondman, Tara Moonhaven, and Ombric Shalazar had arrived that moment. They could already sense the tension. Bunny and Pitch were always at a disagreement, not because Pitch wanted to be the Head of Slytherin, but because of his past.

"We're still waiting on a few more," said Tara.

"It'll be okay. I will address a few more matters before constructing a plan. We're waiting for mainly the Once-ler." Tsar said. "We need to know our weak spots. These weak spots have given the location of the school to the Dark Weapon."

"If I may, Tsar?" asked Pitch.

"Go ahead."

"We are well aware of two particular students in their first year, aren't we? Xander Yates and Yang Xavier? Does it ring any bells?"

"Just spit it out, Pitch," said North. Norma Wiggins, the Muggle Studies professor, arrived with Gobber and Nim Galuu. Nim was the Study of Magic Runes professor. He, Ingrid, Gobber, Norma, the Once-ler, and Ombric all had the lightest schedules. The other professors taught core subjects, which had more than one period for all year levels.

Pitch continued. "Xander has scored exceptional results in some of his subjects. He excels in Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was obviously trained by the Dark Weapon."

This was news to some of the professors. Some found it disturbing to know that children were being trained to do this.

"Oh give me a break. You're just saying that so I'd look bad since I'm the head of his house. What about Yang? Didn't you mention her too? Is there something wrong with her, Sandy?"

Sandy shrugged his shoulders. He then nodded in response, but then he quickly shook his head. His answer was still unclear.

"Thanks, Sandy," responded Bunny sarcastically.

"Can we get back on track, everyone?"

"Thank you, Tsar. Where was I? That's right. I searched the room they stayed at most of the time and found numerous strange things. The first was a Dusk Weapon. Now, before anyone accuses me of being against this sort of weaponry, like the Ministry… Ask yourselves this: Why on earth would these students build a weapon and then hide it? The next thing I found was a collection of potions. Some of them contained Purple Dusk Powder, which from what I remember is not on the textbooks. So they learnt this trick somewhere else. Also, some of these potions are unrecognisable, even for me."

The professors were silent, as some started to side with Pitch Black. He wanted to eliminate these students before the Dark Weapon made their move. Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, and North were the ones strongly against this.

"Would anyone like to add anything else?" asked Tsar. If nobody spoke up, he would have to consider Pitch's idea. Of course he wouldn't kill them, but an interrogation would've been necessary.

"I do," said North. "I agree that Xander and Yang have some sort of affiliation with the Dark Weapon. But can we consider the possibility that they've changed their views? Spending time here at Hogwarts has bound to allow them to see the other perspective. To support this, the Dark Weapon plan to destroy wizards, and Xander and Yang are wizards themselves. During the winter break, I have heard rumours of Xander stopping Jack from going back to Hawthorne. It not only proves that he knew about the incoming attack, but also that Xander didn't want the Dark Weapon to succeed in killing Jack. I also had a chat with Qwerty many months ago. He told me that the book about Year X was stolen, only to be returned the next day. I'm betting that Xander took it. That book explains Year X, but in our perspective, the good guy's perspective."

"There's no such thing as the good and bad guys here, North. And what about the harmful potions and the Dusk Weapon?" asked Pitch.

"Easy. If I do recall, Jack told me about Lily Sirène. I know her very well since she's from my own house. She's the one making these potions, so the potions being in the same room was merely a coincidence. About the Dusk Weapon… Have we forgotten that it was John Wan who created it? He _did_ use it to save a few students in front of our own eyes during that storm."

The professors began agreeing with North. Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy were relieved to know that they weren't going to kill or capture students. It just sounded wrong.

"It's settled then. The two students are no longer considered as threats, but they should still be monitored carefully. The plan for next year: Discover what the Dark Weapon are after. We get to it before them, then they won't be able to touch the school."

* * *

John's Dusk Weapon was a success. He flew it with no difficulties when the stand fell over during that freakish storm. There were a few tweaks that needed to be done. The highest priority was making it an actual weapon instead of just a broomstick.

"John?"

John turned and saw Anna standing at the entrance. She was wearing a simple dress because there were no more classes, and soon they were going to leave the school for summer.

"Yeah?" He wasn't sure why she came to him. Usually, John was the one to approach Anna, so she could help him with his Dusk Weapon. "Did you find something wrong with Quicksilver, Anna?"

"No, luckily. I was hoping you'd be able to help me with _my_ Dusk Weapon," said Anna.

"You're making one? That's so cool! But I thought people at Arendelle would be able to make it for you."

"That's true, but there'd be a lot of restrictions. The first obstacle would be getting their permission, and I think they would think twice before giving a princess one."

"Oh, okay sure, I'll help you then," said John. Anna was happy to hear that. "But first I need to figure out what kind of weapon my one would be."

"Weapon? That's right! Quicksilver just functions as a broomstick. You need to be able to use it to defend yourself, or else it wouldn't be a Dusk Weapon at all," said Anna.

"So what's on your mind when you look at it, Anna?"

"I don't know. You can do whatever and it'll be a Dusk Weapon, but that's if you don't care if it's a good or bad one."

"I want it to be the best one," admitted John. He had always been competitive since he was young. If he never were, he would've not learnt extra subjects and get pushed to the advanced classes in the Muggle world.

"I see. A good Dusk Weapon needs to be able to have two forms. The first form allows you to fight close range; we call it the Melee Form. The second form would help you fight from far away; we call that the Ranged Form. Some Dusk Weapons have only one form, but it fights like both forms. An example would be a bladed staff, which fires the Core Magic, and uses the blade for close ranged."

"I need a Melee Form and a Ranged Form for it to be good?" asked John.

Anna nodded. "You also have a 'Broomstick Form', so I guess you're having three forms in total. To be honest, I've never seen or heard of a weapon that could do that; but if you can pull it off, I think it _will_ be the best Dusk Weapon in existence."

John thanked Anna before she left. He promised that he'd help her as soon as he finishes his weapon.

In the same room, Xander and Yang were duelling. Xander had the upper hand because he didn't have to say the incantation, whereas Yang had to.

"That's not fair! How am I supposed to beat you if you don't say anything?"

"Your enemies will laugh at you if you do nothing but complain during a battle," said Xander, as he casted normal spells at her. He was training her Core Magic.

"Energius Reducto!" A yellow spell shot from her wand and destroyed Xander's spell. Remnants of her Core Magic landed on the floor, like tiny little cinders peppered on the ground.

"Good. Remember, only I taught this spell to a few students, and some are dead."

"Yeah, but I'm sure we can all name one who knows the spell and is still alive."

Xander didn't have to answer that. They wondered when the time came when they had to face him again.

Lily was near them minding her own business. She had reached the level of trust to know that they wouldn't accidentally hurt her during their duel, but the glowing dots on the ground kept her paranoid. When Xander confronted Dagur last year, he made those dots explode beneath Dagur.

* * *

The door opened to the Headmaster's office and Ingrid entered with her crow on her shoulder. She was waddling slowly, as the Once-ler followed. She snapped her fingers and the door slammed shut.

"Another mystery we need to mention is how the Dark Weapon have remained operational ever since Year X," said North.

"He's right. Year X was nearly 100 years ago, and I doubt Muggles like them aren't capable of living over one-hundred-years-old," said Bunny.

"What are the possibilities for that to be possible?" asked Tsar.

"The Moonlight's Potion," said North. "I'm very aware that that's not possible, since Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, Ombric, you, and I have taken the last one. We swore an oath to protect the children."

"Not exactly! Pitch took the last one to destroy us. He didn't want to help the children!" interjected Bunny.

"I'd hold your tongue if I were you, rabbit!" said Pitch.

"Will you all desist?" requested Tsar. He was slowly losing his patience. "I need to also mention that we still have the final Moonlight's Potion, secretly locked away for extreme measures."

Tooth groaned, seeing them fight was the same as watching an argument between children. She then saw something golden, fidgeting at the edge of her sight. She turned and saw Sandy, waving at them to get their attention.

"Sandy has something to say, everyone!"

Sandy formed an image of a potion bottle, making them assume he was talking about the Moonlight's Potion.

"What _about_ the Moonlight's Potion?" asked Tara.

Sandy shook his head, revealing that he wasn't talking about that potion after all. He formed another picture. It was the sun, a specific sun that represented something in particular.

"Corona's Potion! That's it!" shouted Tooth. "Since the two of us are the busiest during the nighttime, collecting teeth and spreading good dreams, we've crossed paths many times to talk about this. The legend of that potion hasn't been shown to be real, but it's the next potion that grants something similar to immortality. We think the Dark Weapon have a supplier, and somehow that supplier gained a method of replicating that potion."

"That's something we'll have to remember. Good thinking, you two." Tsar then thought to himself. "It can't be a Deathly Hallow. That only grants one person to be immortal."

"Or the answer's simpler," said Ingrid. "What if they gave up their position for the next generation?"

"What about unicorn blood?" asked Gobber. It was known in the wizarding world that drinking the blood of a unicorn was taboo. It cursed the drinker to continue fulfilling their lust for more unicorn blood, but it _did_ grant immortality if the drinker continued.

"No, that's been ruled out. Fergus Dunbroch and the other clans survey all over Scotland, and they have not reported any unicorn deaths yet," said Tsar. "Horcruxes aren't possible since most of them aren't wizards."

"So it's most likely Ingrid's theory, or the Corona's Potion," said Tara.

"Once-ler, I'm sure you now have a good understanding of how things run around here. What do you suggest we do?" asked Tsar.

"Why him? He's just a Muggle," said Pitch.

"Once-ler's help with teaching Dusk Studies to the first year have been successful. I would've bet that the four first years would've not made it if they didn't know anything about Dusk Droids. I trust him," said Tsar.

The Once-ler was nervous as he stepped into view. He held onto his Dusk Weapon before explaining. "I think we should train the students to use Dusk Weapons."

"You can't be serious!" Bunny wasn't keen with this idea, neither was Tooth.

"They aren't our soldiers. We can't just force them to fight for us," said Tooth.

"We'll make it voluntary. If enough students stay to learn Dusk Studies, then we'll proceed with Once-ler's idea. I will only allow the first years to learn this when they turn fourteen to fifteen."

"So… their fourth year?" asked North. Tsar nodded.

"It will be an accelerated class where they'll learn how to not only use their weapons, but to also lead and work in a team," said Tsar.

* * *

Jack, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup were in the library, borrowing books to keep busy during the term break. Hiccup wanted to stay ahead of his subjects, borrowing textbooks and reading them early would do the trick. This motivation stemmed from John, who apparently did the same thing in the Muggle world.

Jack really wanted to go into the Restricted Section. He wanted to take that book he saw Xander borrow. He wanted to know everything about Year X.

"It's stupid. Why is that book in the Restricted Section anyway?" asked Jack.

"Many reasons. It could teach students how to use dark magic, or it contains too much graphical content, like violence." Merida explained.

"I guess it's violent since Year X was the time when a lot of wizards died," said Jack.

"It could be in there because that book is valuable."

"What do you mean, Rapunzel?" asked Jack. Rapunzel never spoke a lot after returning from the Easter break. Nobody knew about the time she stood up for herself. She didn't want to explain to her friends that she didn't like the way her mother treated her.

"When Hiccup and I tried to find the Snow Charm, we realised North created it. It was in his spellbook, which was one of a kind. We found out it was in the Restricted Section, and we had planned to ask North about it. That's when we found Xander's spellbook, and didn't have to go in the Restricted Section anymore. We didn't even know if North would've allowed us to go in for that reason."

Jack heard a lot of footsteps in the library corridor. He chose to ignore it and continued searching for useful books.

"That reminds me," said Hiccup. "Berk's town hall, Meade Hall, has plenty of archives, so maybe there's something about Year X in it."

"No Restricted Sections?" asked Jack.

"We're Vikings. The only rules of living on Berk are defending the place and listening to the Chief's orders. Besides, Fishlegs goes through the archives all the time to research dragons."

The students outside were getting louder.

"I think we should check that out," said Rapunzel. She scooped up Pascal and left, waiting for the others to follow.

It was difficult getting outside. They even had to leave their books inside the library, hoping nobody would take it. Who would take it in a situation like this?

They looked around and saw that it wasn't just a portion of the students that were outside. The entire school had left the building to witness the strange phenomenon. Students sat on balconies, poked out of windows, climbed rooftops, all to watch the sky.

"What's happening?" asked Jack.

"I don't know," said Rapunzel.

"Guys, look up." Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel did what Merida said, and their jaws dropped.

The sky was filled with white particles, like snow. But it wasn't snow because none of it landed on the ground. These white specks were only visible in the sky, dancing in a coordinated manner with the wind.

"What is it?" asked Hiccup. Nobody answered. It wasn't like they knew the answer anyway.

The particles behaved oddly. It was moving around like the surface of the ocean, and they were the ones directly underneath it. Nobody had the chance to inspect it, not even John and Quicksilver.

It gave Jack a mood. It wasn't fear, or sadness; it was hope, and it filled every soul standing outside the castle with courage. They weren't sure if the display was visible anywhere else.

The white particles then swirled in the sky like a spiral. The sky was now completely filled with it. It bunched up together and formed a lion, running around in the sky. It changed into a snake, and then an eagle, and finally a badger. Two more animals were displayed after: A dragon and a griffin. The cluster of dots then dispersed across the sky.

A good ten minutes had passed and the white dots mysteriously disappeared, leaving its origin a mystery. There were professors outside too, but they didn't know the cause of the event. Not even a scientific explanation would be able to comprehend that.

"So what _was_ that anyway?" asked Merida.

"Does it matter?" asked Jack.

"I guess not." Merida stayed and hoped it would return again, but deep down they knew it was a 'once in a lifetime' kind of thing.

It was a good omen. A sign that something uplifting was about to happen, or that it was an indication that they were following the right path.


	25. Carpe Diem

Merida and her friends made it to the Great Hall just before the ceremony commenced. The End-of-Term Feast was a tradition to serve as a reminiscent of the Start-of-Term Feast. They were exactly the same; there was the same amount of food served to the participants, as well as the announcement for winners of the Easter Egg Hunt, and the House Cup. Professor Lunar was also going to summarise the winner of the Quidditch finals to present the award.

All of Merida's belongings were packed. The next morning was when they'd board the Hogwarts Express. The entire summer might be relaxing for Merida. But it could become the opposite if her mother crammed all her lectures in those three months.

It was this event and the Start-of-Term Feast where they all had to sit with their own house. Next to Merida were Heather and Tailfire. She slowly got to know Tailfire during the winter break because they both shared mutual friends, but after that, their relationship declined. They both spoke about Jack and Hiccup, who had a bit of training from Tailfire long ago. Tailfire didn't know when or why they stopped training, but she could see that they've learnt a lot. After hearing that they defended themselves against a Dusk Droid in the Forbidden Forest, she felt they were way ahead of most students their age.

Merida remembered explaining her side of the story to Professor Lunar. The rules were simple: Do not mention about Jack's Core Magic. Professor Lunar instead requested for Xander to claim that he went in to finish off the robot. Lunar's intention of hiding Jack's Core Magic was unknown, but it made sense considering people made up bad rumours of Xander. Jack didn't need any more weight to carry on his shoulders.

"Attention all," announced the Headmaster. It was the first time Merida saw Professor Lunar behind the podium. If she recalled correctly, Professor Lunar wasn't there during the first few weeks of Hogwarts. She still wondered why.

"As tradition of this ceremony, I would like your full attention before I announce the winner of the Quidditch finals—and can we please hold our applause until the winner is announced."

Professor Lunar took out a scroll and examined the writing. "At fourth place, we have Hufflepuff, scoring 30 points for their house."

There was a clap heard at the Ravenclaw table. Professor Lunar ignored it, but the students of Ravenclaw eyed the boy who wasn't seen by Merida.

"At third, we have Slytherin, who gained 50 points for their house. The Quidditch final was an unforgettable event. Ravenclaw was against Gryffindor. Despite Gryffindor's efforts—even after catching the Golden Snitch—the winner of this year's Quidditch goes to Ravenclaw house."

The Ravenclaws stood up and cheered. Merida watched Elsa stand up to approach the High Table. She obtained a badge, which would be displayed on the shields seen in various corridors around the school.

Elsa sat down, and Professor Lunar moved on to the next event. "The Easter Egg Hunt competition is split into seven categories for each year. Every egg has been counted and we've calculated the amount of points awarded to each house. The first category to be announced is the first years."

The students clapped and Merida was hoping she was the winner. She wanted to come home with at least some good news to share.

"The winner of the first years has not only captured twenty-two eggs, but these eggs were hidden in areas where we thought only older students could reach."

Merida was almost shivering. She didn't remember finding that many eggs, but those ones on the windowsills were difficult to spot, let alone inaccessible without a broomstick.

"Please give a round of applause to… Yang Xavier!"

The students clapped, and so did Merida. She was still confused because she remembered Xander doing whatever it took to make her lose.

"I thought you wanted someone else to win," said Merida, tapping onto Xander's shoulder. He was conveniently next to her, and turned around because of her touch. He wasn't even surprised that Yang won, so he must've known.

"I tried to make her lose," replied Xander, "but it looks like Yang was just too determined."

"Did she use the orb?" asked Merida. It was difficult to speak with Professor Lunar continuing with the awards. Even the clapping became louder.

"She cannot use the orb on things that have no proper name. People, places, and animals can be seen as long as they have a name. Besides, I took the orb with me during the Easter Egg Hunt… just to be sure."

The other winners weren't important to Merida. She didn't know who any of them were. But they all had a story of their own. A story she'd never hear about unless she befriended them.

"So, with the calculations from all events, we can correctly assume that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw should hold the lead to winning the House Cup. The current results are… Gryffindor with 203 points, Hufflepuff with 153 points, Slytherin with 192 points, and Ravenclaw with 202 points. But now, we have to add them with the raw points obtained throughout this year and last year."

Merida examined the Great Hall and realised the banners were decorated with Ravenclaw colours. That meant Ravenclaw were last year's winner. She'd love to see it in green and silver.

"At fourth place we have… Hufflepuff with 360 points, making their total: 513 points. At third place we have… Slytherin with 336 points, making their total: 528 points."

The Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor tables were excited to know who won. Headmaster Lunar said these in no specific order, so it was possible for Slytherin to win since they were ahead of Hufflepuff.

"The amount of points Gryffindor achieved is… 372 points, with a total of 575. And the amount for Hufflepuff is… 401 points, with the grant total of 554." Professor Lunar waved his hand and the banners changed to red and gold. There were lions on the banners, giving a clear indication of who the winner was. "Gryffindor wins the House Cup."

All the students cheered for Gryffindor. Merida looked and saw Jack cheering with his friends. She was glad to see him like that. What impressed Merida more was all the students cheering and not caring they lost.

* * *

During the final dinner for the term, Xander spoke to Merida. He was full of seriousness and it seemed important, so Merida listened carefully.

"Merida, I need to tell you something before we leave. During the break, Yang and I will be doing something dangerous, and we are not certain that we will return."

"Um, okay…" Merida watched and examined Xander's features carefully. He was paler than anyone she knew. His hair was jet-black and his eyes were pure grey. It was a habit Merida always did, since her vision was impeccable.

"If we do fail, I want you to apologise to Lily and Jonathan for us," said Xander. "To be honest, I have hope that we _will_ succeed."

"Really? Why the sudden change in attitude?" asked Merida.

"Ever since I met Jackson, he was always full of surprises. He would always believe things would go right, no matter the odds. I may not be as innocent as he is, and I may not believe I would succeed so easily, but I have learnt to do everything to make things work out. I want to put one-hundred per cent of my effort, and maybe then I will be able to believe and have hope."

"I don't understand," said Merida.

"Do not worry," said Xander. "Just remember what I want you to do."

Merida nodded.

"Another thing," said Xander. "If you do not find any of us next term, under any circumstances, do not approach us if our paths _do_ cross again."

* * *

The students made their way to Hogsmeade Station. Following the path, they were looking at the sky to see another miracle, but it never arrived. The students had a lot that happened to them that year.

They could all remember the confrontation between blood purity. A young Hufflepuff named Hiccup was bullied for being a half-blood. The assailant wanted to bring harm upon the ones who weren't pure-bloods.

There was a Ravenclaw who stepped in to help, but he was quickly outmatched by three pure-bloods. His name was Patrick Torres. He was the same age as Hiccup, Dagur, Jack, and Xander, but he wasn't remembered as being part of that confrontation. He didn't care because people would've remembered that he was unsuccessful in helping.

The saviour of that day was the Slytherin who was also a pure-blood. He seemed to have no prejudice against non pure-bloods. It was he who demonstrated a new spell that was only seen during the Start-of-Term Feast, the spell to create Core Magic.

That day was spoken about a lot, which turned into rumours. These rumours eventually reached the professors, and it was up to them to determine what was true and what was fiction.

The ordinary year of 2493 continued, until Halloween. Students were forced to evacuate the Great Hall due to a prank gone wrong. The pranksters had hoped to create snow in the hall, soft, harmless, and fluffy snow. The spell went wrong, after the Thorston Twins from Berk stole a mysterious potion from a Potions classroom. The place turned into hail, and the floor became frosted, difficult to walk on.

When that mishap ended, another casualty had occurred. Another first year was serving detention after scaring Professor Toothiana. He reported that he heard strange noises, and then the Monstrous Nightmare went feral. He was dragged into the castle and he was stuck on the dragon. Getting off was difficult, but if he had stayed any longer, the dragon would've burst into flames like all Monstrous Nightmares.

Xander luckily saved him once again with the use of Core Magic. Students feared what Xander was capable of. That kind of magic was affiliated with Dusk Weapons, which also shared a connection with the Dark Weapon.

The next day there was the first snow, and all the dark emotions had alleviated.

Winter break had commenced the day after and all was good, until several days past and word had arrived, informing the world of the first mass genocide. Hundreds had died and it was presumed that Jackson Overland, the first year Gryffindor, did not make it either.

The child returned and had a troubled time at Hogwarts, almost attacking a student. He had to endure a new subject about Dusk Weaponry.

It was then rumoured that one day he snuck into the Forbidden Forest and saved his sister. Xander saved the day once again by killing the Dusk Droid.

Near the final moments of Hogwarts, the impossible occurred. White powders drizzled around the sky, the first marvellous sight to behold. They didn't know why, but despite the misfortunes that term, they were filled with bravery and aspirations.

They then wondered what next year was going to offer.

* * *

While the train was zipping across the landscape, Jack watched as the astonishing view was converging with the sunset. It had been several hours now, but everyone in his compartment was still full of energy.

"So what do you plan to do for the break?" asked Rapunzel. "We should do some investigating too."

"Like what?" asked Merida.

"I'm talking about what Xander told you. We should start something between the four of us, like an investigation team."

"And what do you propose we do?" asked Jack.

"I'm not sure. I want to investigate the relationship of Xander and Yang. They surely know something about the Burgess Sweep. I know Yang said she saw images when she touched things, but how did she know so much to know that Jack was the main target? What I also want to look into is how Lily and John play a part in all this." Rapunzel said.

"That's surely the most interesting part of the mystery," said Jack. "I think I want to go to back Hawthorne. I don't even know if North would let. I think there are clues all over the place."

"Is it safe? Even after all those toxic fumes?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm sure it _will_ be safe. I remember that they took out the bodies after that day. If I don't end up going, I'll be staying at the North Pole and help Emma get used to me."

"Don't worry, Jack. It'll be okay between you two," said Hiccup reassuringly. "Remember what I said about the archives from Meade Hall? Well… The reason why I wanted to look into Year X is because it could be linked to the Burgess Sweep, which I'm sure all of you know already."

The rest waited for Merida to respond. There was something on her mind for a while now, and she hadn't shared it to her friends yet. She didn't think it was important until now.

"When I received a delivery from my mum, I had to go to Hogsmeade Post Office like you, Jack. There weren't many people who could've taken me, except for Professor Black," said Merida.

"What was he like? Was he actually nice?" asked Rapunzel. Merida shook her head. It would've been nice to hear that he was actually kind. Too bad that wasn't the case.

 _So you don't know anything about them? Let's keep it that way then._

"He was very suspicious of Xander and Yang. He was also asking me about them, but I told him I didn't know them very well. He then said 'let's keep it that way then'. It's like he knew Xander and Yang were hiding something. What's more is that Black waited for me to leave the post office. There were also no more delivery owls, yet Black told me he was heading to the post office anyway. I think he was planning something with Professor Thorburn, the Divinations Professor. She didn't seem scared of the Dark Weapon when I told her about them."

"Maybe it's because she's lived long enough to not believe that they're real," said Rapunzel.

"Do you know how long we can live for?" asked Merida. She leaned in slowly with a menacing smile. "Over one-hundred years."

"Really? How's that possible," asked Jack.

"Beats me. Anyway, I think that used to be a thing, but now that magic got weakened, our lifespans are probably the same as a Muggle's," said Merida. "I think Professor Black and Thorburn are hiding something too. They've lived long enough to be there during Year X. They know more than what we know. It can't just be the two of them either. There should be a lot more professors whom we shouldn't trust."

"What about North? He's letting me stay with him to be safe with Emma."

"Never mind about Professor North. He's definitely good in my book," said Merida.

"Well, I can't trust them yet," said Jack. "I just wanted Emma to be safe."

"Och, I'm going to have to ask my mum about the professors. Most have been the same even when she was here," groaned Merida.

"What's wrong with that?" asked Hiccup.

"Any form of communication with my mother is a trap. She'll end up talking about my lessons and probably resume her lectures with me. I guess it's worth it."

"Well my mother won't let me outside! She keeps on talking about how dangerous the world is," said Rapunzel.

"I still don't even exist to my dad. He's always so busy taking care of the entire village, and he never—" Hiccup stopped midsentence because he had realised how Jack was feeling when they spoke about their own families.

"Sorry, Jack," said Hiccup.

"No really, it's fine—I'm okay." They didn't believe him and thought it was best to change the subject.

"How exactly are you getting to the North Pole? Can't Professor North just create a portal for you guys?" asked Merida.

"He gave me a list of instructions. And no, he won't use the portal. It's the same reason why you guys don't use Floo powder until after the train ride." Jack explained.

* * *

The train finally halted and the students left with their suitcases. They all pushed their trolleys near the gate where Merida and Rapunzel would leave first. Hiccup and Jack had the Floo Network to get home.

"So… I guess it is goodbye for now?" said Merida. She was the first to leave, promising that she'll write to them if she finds out something new.

Hiccup was the second to leave. Even though Jack could've used Floo powder, he wanted to stay a little longer; he wanted things to stay the same for a minute.

"Goodbye, Rapunzel." Hiccup went in for a hug. "And goodbye, Frost." Hiccup left and joined up with the Berk students.

"I guess it's my turn to go now," said Rapunzel. "I don't know if I'll be able to find any clues on my own. Mother's usually strict about this. Me snooping around isn't good for her."

"You'll be fine. You're smart… remember?"

"You know that's not true, Jack."

 _Your house does not define who you are, your choices do._

"I'm in Ravenclaw, yes, but I'm not smart," said Rapunzel.

"It's not because you're in Ravenclaw that you're smart. It's because you chose to be."

Rapunzel smiled. "Thanks, Jack." She hugged Jack before leaving. "It was nice meeting you and the others."

Jack watched as the blonde haired girl left through the gate, phasing directly through the brick wall.

"I guess it's my turn," thought Jack. He took out the piece of paper North handed to him.

Use the fireplace and say: North's Workshop. Don't forget to say it clearly!

You're there!

"Well that was easy," said Jack. He headed to the fireplaces and took a handful of Floo powder.

The emerald flames engulfed Jack, as he was being transported to a new area. He was thinking to himself. How would things go in the future? How could he get Emma to like him again? Or was Jack overthinking all this and Emma was completely fine? Was it okay for him to assume that everything was going to be all right?

Jack was at the North Pole and the temperature dropped to an immense level. Jack was only wearing a shirt, since students got changed before their arrival at King's Cross. It was summer in London, but this was the North Pole, meaning it would always be like winter.

The building was colossal. There was enough room to do anything, except for magic. At least Jack wouldn't worry about casting Core Magic. Multiple rooms were present and the place was already a maze. There was a huge room Jack couldn't miss. In that room, there was a gigantic globe.

Jack saw the yetis, marching around the building with objects in their hands. Some of them were toys, while the others were machine parts. The yetis were large and ape-like. They reminded Jack of his first time meeting North; both were taller than him. They all had different coloured fur.

Jack inspected the giant globe in the room. It was constantly rotating on its own axis, with lights appearing around the world. There was a large book on a pedestal, which was already tempting him to snoop. Perhaps finding clues would be easier for Jack.

"Lights that shine in the dusk." Jack was reading the book and it was a list. It wasn't a naughty or nice list, which was what he expected. The book didn't explain anything, except it had a log for how long each light had appeared on that map.

"These are the people who possess Core Magic," thought Jack. There were currently nine lights that were listed as 'active' on the logbook. He then inspected the globe and saw that the region around Hogwarts was bright. It was impossible to see if there were any students in there. In other countries, there were tiny dots scattered around. He couldn't see the North Pole, but he saw a hint of yellow emanating the top of the globe.

There were around three lights in Japan, and Jack realised there were a lot of people who had the potential of being a wizard. It must've been hard for North to be constantly rejected. Jack felt better about accepting North's offer. There was a lot in China and one of them was bound to be John.

Many lights twinkled at Ireland, and then in France. He saw some in Germany. Rapunzel was home. There were still plenty of dots around the world. Most of them North had probably visited already. There was a cluster of lights in America. It must've been Moonhaven, where Nod and MK live.

Something bumped into Jack's leg and he looked down. There was an elf, carrying a plate of cookies and a cup of milk. There were a few more elves watching him from afar. They wore a red pointy hat, which covered their entire body. Every step they took, there was a jingle from the bell on top of the hat. It was entertaining to watch them.

"No thanks, but thank you." The elf skedaddled away and Jack placed the book back to where it was. Maybe North would explain more about the lights.

Jack heard a gruff voice behind him. It tapped him on the shoulder and Jack saw that it was one of the yetis, glaring at him. It pointed at him and it was speaking in its own language.

"Um, sorry. I can't understand." The yeti became mad and was about to result to violence. It was acting like a guard dog, so maybe it didn't want Jack here.

"Phil!" The yeti stopped and turned, seeing North nearby. "This is our guest."

Phil made a high-pitched gasp and backed away from Jack, speaking in an apologetic tone.

"My apologies, Jack. I forgot to tell the yetis there was another guest visiting." North clapped twice and elves appeared with musical instruments. "I think we should be giving you a more welcoming entrance. Music!"

An elf began playing its horn and the yetis were spinning batons of fire. It was a fantastic welcoming party, but not for Jack.

"Hey, um, hello? We don't need to do this!" Nobody heard Jack through the music. He then snatched the horn off the musical elf and the festive atmosphere ceased. "No music. I just want to know where Emma is."

The musical elf grabbed its horn back and angrily walked off, shoving other elves that got in its way.

"Oh, my apologies again, Jack. Emma should be in the guest room on the left corridor. Your room is right next to hers—but she's sleeping."

Jack made his way out of the room and he had to smile to the yetis that stared blankly at him. He found the rooms and expected for Emma to be awake after all that music. The large door was before him and he didn't know what to do. He was afraid she'd be scared as soon as he opened the door.

North had told him many times at Hogwarts that she was fine. Emma had a lot of fun with the yetis and elves. They pretty much spoiled her with all the food and toys. The toys were the biggest things for her because they never had a lot back at Hawthorne. The only way for them to have fun was to spend time at the playground. She was probably lonely the entire time he was at Hogwarts.

Jack wrapped his hand around the doorknob and was already trembling in fear. She sounded better off without him. He _could_ just stay in the other room and avoid her for her own sake.

A hand lightly touched Jack's shoulder again and he saw North. North stared at Jack and gave him a heartening expression. Jack was crying; there was a single tear that ran down his face. North then gave Jack a nod, as Jack hesitated to turn the handle.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"She won't. She's your sister."

Jack then closed his eyes and turned the doorknob.

The room was bright. What stood out was the window that almost covered the entire back wall. The vast snow biome was visible and the white snow reflected all the light into the room. He had no idea it was daytime here. There was everything he could've wanted in this room. There was a large wardrobe, a desk, an antique chandelier, and a large, comfortable bed.

"Emma… Someone wants to visit you," said North while patting Jack's shoulder.

She was there, sitting on the bed. Jack was frightened to hear what she wanted to tell him. He didn't want to scare her ever again. She turned slowly and their eyes met. She was confused, seeing that tear mark on his cheek. She then smiled at him and he was finally happy again.

"Jack!" She jumped off the bed and ended up in his arms. He was crying even more. "What's wrong, Jack? Did you have fun there?"

Jack nodded and held her even tighter. This was his sister. And nothing would get in between them ever again. Emma was safe; she was home, and so was Jack.


	26. Xander's Report I

On an island hidden around Northern Ireland was a hidden structure. This place was not only concealed with protective enchantments, but it was also situated underneath the earth, where no wizards would find. To Muggles, it didn't exist; to wizards, it was a useless landform.

Within the structure, was a large room with a second floor. All those on the second floor would be able to see the bottom floor across the railings. The walls were made up of cobblestone, reinforced with metal beams. It was the perfect place to serve as a bomb shelter.

On the bottom floor, there was an adult and two children. These two children had just returned from Hogwarts, ready to suffer the consequences. The man paced around the room and interrogated the children. He was not pleased that they demonstrated no results at the wizarding school.

"So the two of you did exactly the opposite of what I asked," said the man. "We went through this. If the Muggle-born was not willing to enter the train, then it was your job, Xander, to use the Imperius Curse on him!"

"I already told you, Zigor. He got on the train, but there was a slight malfunction to the engines that delayed the journey," said Xander. He observed the atrium and didn't find anyone else nearby; it was a good sign.

"No excuses! Yang, I sent you to go with him to make sure he wouldn't mess up, like he always does! I can see now that you two aren't suited to work together."

"If only Scott was here," said Yang sarcastically. Zigor stared at her until she dropped the smile. She wasn't going to regret saying that.

"We needed that child from Hawthorne dead. He was the Dark Weapon's spy. He was spying around the school to report everything to the Dark Weapon. Remember that he's a Muggle-born, wishing the wizards were wiped out."

"And yet you needed to kill everyone he knew at Hawthorne," said Xander.

"It was necessary. If I only killed the child, questions would arise. After he dies, we would've been able to start the cleansing to revive magic across the entire world."

Xander and Yang gave each other a short glance, thinking the same thing. Zigor was onto them.

"Don't tell me you're beginning to believe those rumours. The Dark Weapon was only present a hundred years ago. Many think we are them, but that's only because we use Dusk Weaponry like them." Zigor paused. "Well what's done is done, and there's nothing the two of you can do at the school anymore. Head to the memory station to have your memories wiped." Zigor ordered.

Zigor was waiting, but the two did not move. He feared the worst had happened to them.

"What are you waiting for? Move!" boomed Zigor.

"No," replied Xander.

"No?" Zigor was ready to take action.

"We have figured it all out, Zigor. It was not the school that opened Yang and my eyes. We have known the truth for a long time before entering."

Xander and Yang took a step back. Zigor had two choices: Play dumb… or reveal his true motives.

"What on earth are you talking about, Xander?"

"You are part of the Dark Weapon," accused Xander.

Zigor was chuckling. "How on earth did you end up with that conclusion?"

"You are not the wizard you say you were. You showed us Core Magic to prove to us you were, but the truth is… You used a Dusk Weapon to achieve that. You stole Scott's Core Magic!"

Zigor smiled. "I'm not just part of the Dark Weapon, Xander. I'm the current leader of the Dark Weapon!"

Footsteps were heard and robots filled the upper floor, aiming their weapons at the children. They were Dusk Droids, and Xander would've had no trouble taking them all out. Unfortunately, they had another plan to follow.

"Don't even bother. There's no fireplace connected to the Floo Network and the Portkey has been sealed away. If you plan on digging your way out, good luck swimming for hours."

Xander lowered his wand and decided to stall. Zigor also had a few things to say.

"The original leader of the Dark Weapon couldn't continue on, so he gave me this role. I can tell you now that I'm loving this job. Well… now that there's nothing you can do, how about you tell me what you've learnt, like how you figured it out."

"First of all, we did not care whether or not you were the good guy or bad guy. We just knew what you have been making us do was wrong. I will never forgive you for that," said Xander.

"You're still not upset about Darkcharm, are you?"

"Maybe. There was a reason why you never revealed your full name to us. It was so Yang would not be able to see your past. You wanted for us to get Jackson Overland to walk into a deathtrap, but we got to know him and there was no way a person like him would be so evil. He values friends and family; that is something you could never do!"

"You also wiped out our memories whenever we finished missions! It wasn't because you didn't want us to be interrogated by the 'enemy'. You just didn't want us to piece the puzzle together and figure out the truth!" yelled Yang.

"Then explain this: How on earth would a person like me and the Dark Weapon live on for nearly 100 years without ageing?" questioned Zigor.

"We have thought about that. You did not take over the Dark Weapon leader because he was old; in fact, you were there during Year X. Your frequent visits to Corona were not wiped from our memories, and we learnt about the Corona's Potion. Somehow, you have figured out the method of obtaining the potion. Yang searched the mind of a simple chameleon from Corona and found disturbing memories. We saw a woman who abuses her daughter and creates the potion for you. It is a shame we only got to see what the chameleon saw."

"And what do you plan to do with this information?" asked Zigor.

"When we get out of here, we will inform the entire world about you. We will tell everyone that the Dark Weapon still lives, and they have been capturing the wizards. Before that, we will save the others you have captured here."

"That's a shame… While the two of you have been busy, I've been pretty busy too. These children you once knew have been given an object wizards call a Horcrux, which turns them into monsters. They will kill for me!"

Zigor was finished. He gave a nod to the Dusk Droids so they'd open fire. After that, he would retrieve the two and brainwash them like the others. If that happened, Merida would warn everyone as Xander told her to.

Xander waved his wand and destroyed one of the robots while they charged their Core Magic. His magic was half its strength considering their distance away from Hogwarts.

"Don't resist. You can't destroy all the robots in time."

"Watch us," said Yang. She took an object from her pocket and revealed a potion. It was the one Lily gave them and it rang like bells when she took it out. Yang shattered the potion on the ground.

An electrical pulse of yellow covered the entire room and they shielded their eyes. Zigor opened and saw that all the Dusk Droids were deactivated. He took out his Dusk Weapon, but it malfunctioned too.

"What have you done?!" Zigor's weapon was like a wand, but it needed to charge Core Magic. It wouldn't work after being exposed to the potion because it affected anything related to technology.

"We have been busy too. We formed allies who have outstanding skills." Xander walked up to Zigor, taunting him.

He was powerless, so the two had nothing to fear. Yang took out another bottle.

"I cannot wait to see the Dark Weapon turn to ash. When we are done with you, magic will return. And do not worry if we cannot find out how… We have our ways."

Zigor was about to attack Xander, but the child still had his magic. Xander fired his Core Magic on Zigor's hand, paralysing it. He then casted it on Zigor's foot, disabling him from walking any closer.

"Why don't you just kill me?!" Xander almost scoffed. He knew the man was stalling and baiting them.

"Why should I? Killing you would mean a new leader would emerge. We have known you for many years and we intend to have you as our main opponent. A new leader would make things difficult for us, and you certainly do not want to be replaced… do you?" Xander eyed Zigor. "We know your weakness. You have a heart, unlike other people. You would care if you knew the children you have trained would die after magic is destroyed, so that is why you used the Horcruxes on them. You wanted them to have another chance when they die by your ultimate weapon. And besides… It is Jackson who should kill you."

There was the sound of sand coming into the room. They saw tendrils of Black Sand engulfing the ceiling, ready to strike Xander and Yang.

"Oh no, Darkcharm is here. I certainly can't wait to see this beautiful reunion," said Zigor.

"Xander, retreat." Yang ordered.

"What about the others?"

"They're beyond saving as Zigor said." Yang held out a potion bottle containing nothing but a simple coin.

"What potion did your freaky friends make now?!"

"It is not a potion, Zigor. It is in fact… a Portkey, which is our key out of here. If it is a race you want, then it is a race you shall get. Let us see who comes first." Xander smirked.

Yang got the coin out and flipped it in the air. At the same time, the Black Sand came crashing down over them and they were engulfed. Zigor watched as the Black Sand disappeared. The two had escaped.

* * *

Xander and Yang ended up in an old building at Diagon Alley. Nobody entered this building because it was empty. This building used to be a wandmaker's shop, until the owners left. It had been abandoned for many years now.

The coin landed on the ground and it was now useless. Xander charmed it to only send them here and nowhere else. Charmed objects did not lose their efficiency no matter where it was on the globe. They were like potions and broomsticks.

Their belongings were also here. They carried dummy suitcases to the Dark Weapon's hideout to not look suspicious. They had thought about this plan thoroughly. Although there were a few things that didn't go according to plan, like Darkcharm's appearance, it was successful. Xander even went overboard with the way he spoke to Zigor.

Yang used her Prophecy Record, laughing at the reactions of Darkcharm. The silhouette nearby was Zigor and they were trying to act professional in front of the children. Xander and Yang were now placed as enemies of the Dark Weapon, so the child soldiers were able to apprehend them.

Their forgotten memories weren't stolen completely. Yang had used the orb to reveal any important information the Dark Weapon took from them. There was nothing the Dark Weapon had that they needed anymore.

Yang then examined the old building. There was dust and cobweb everywhere. She didn't like the place unless it was cleaned.

"So how did you know this place was still abandoned when you ran away?" asked Yang.

"I wished it was not. I came here hoping my parents would come back, but they never did," said Xander. This place used to belong to him, until his parents abandoned him. He once came back to this place, hoping they were there, waiting for him, but whom was he kidding?

"That's when they came, right?" asked Yang.

Xander nodded. They weren't referring to the Dark Weapon, who made his life hell. There were people he knew who were with the Dark Weapon, like him and Yang. They gave him a reason to live. They were the ones who questioned Zigor's motives in the first place.

Scott was the only one to care, despite his nature. He was a friend of Thema, Drake, and Darkcharm, but realised Xander needed someone. It was the first time Xander felt a brotherly bond with someone. Thema also realised the importance after Scott helped. She was another person Xander held dearly in his heart. Soon, maybe one day, Yang would be one of those people too.

It was Darkcharm who ruined everything. Scott would've been alive if it weren't for him.

Xander took off his black cloak, examining it as usual. He didn't like it if it had tears or rips.

"You sure you don't want to trade?" asked Yang jokingly. The cloak was special to Xander from what Yang could see. It was charmed to withstand a lot of things. The cloak ignored all spells, temperatures, and fires; it was one of a kind. One day Xander would grow to fit it.

"So what do we do now?" asked Yang. It was sunset and the atmosphere was turning orange. The end of the day was approaching.

"This is our hiding place, our secret base. Darkcharm knew about this building, but his memories of it were wiped out."

"Then why weren't yours?" asked Yang again.

"They thought I was too young to remember," admitted Xander. "Scott and Thema are not around anymore, so it is only the two of us that know of this area."

"Okay, but how will we survive here? We need money to buy food and other necessities to survive. When I mean necessities, I mean necessities. I'm turning twelve this year."

"There is a new wandmaker's shop in Diagon Alley. I intend to work there as an apprentice. You do not need to work if you are lazy," said Xander. "I will be in charge of buying you your 'necessities'."

"You're hilarious. I'll be bored without work. There is a fortune-teller nearby, so I guess I can work there—if they're hiring." Yang looked out the window and could see many people walking across. This was it. They could finally live like normal wizards.

"So now that we made it, we can tell John and Lily everything! The question is: What are we going to do about the Dark Weapon in our second year?" asked Yang.

"You are in charge after the summer break. In the book about Year X, it mentioned a powerful seer who had sealed away her own knowledge about the Dark Weapon."

"What kind of knowledge?" queried Yang.

"Most likely about what they are after. We get it before them, we win. It is in a temple near Hogwarts."


End file.
